Waiver Requested

[Arnold Rots]

WFC,

After we finally managed to agree on a Year-2k convention, I am now
going to turn around and ask for a waiver - or at least your opinions
on modifying one requirement for AXAF.  %-)

Before I do that, let me explain that I moved from RXTE to AXAF,
recently.  Having abandoned the XTE archive, I am now the Archive
Astrophysicist at the AXAF Science Center.

Let me explain the issue.  As most of you may be aware, AXAF's launch
has been delayed, though nobody knows yet by how much.  However, even
in the most optimistic estimates, no serious guest observer
observations will take place before 1999 and it is unlikely that many
(if any) FITS files will be distributed by the ASC before 1999.

Considering the large body of code that is under development for
writing and reading the AXAF FITS files and that now needs to be
modified, it seems sensible to only implement the new DATEXXXX formats
and not worry about the few files, if any, that would make it outside
the confines of the AXAF mission before the end of 1998.

I am aware that if we (the AXAF mission) are the only ones who would
have to deal with AXAF FITS files before the end of 1998, we can go
ahead and implement the new format throughout.  However, at this point
we cannot rule out the possibility that some files might be
distributed before the end of 1998.

I don't think there is much of an issue here.  First, it's unlikely
that any FITS file will be distributed before 1999.  Second, such
files will likely be handled by ASC-provided software.  Third, if not
handled by ASC-provided software, they are most likely to be read by
software using FITSIO - which, I believe, will not fall over when it
encounters the new format and even can be forced to write it
prematurely (correct, Bill?).

But I would like to ask whether anybody sees a problem that we
overlooked if we decide to switch to the new format right away.

Thanks,

  - Arnold

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Arnold H. Rots                             arots at head-cfa.harvard.edu
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory      High Energy Astrophysics Division
MS 81                                      AXAF Science Center
60 Garden Street                           Phone: +1 617 495 7063
Cambridge, MA 02138                        Fax:   +1 617 495 7356
                          Phone after 1998-01-06: +1 617 495 7701
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