NAME

       dis_time, seq_time -- Time in seconds since an arbitrary time in the past.

SYNOPSIS

           double dis_time();
           double seq_time();

EXAMPLE

           double t_start = dis_time();
           //....  stuff to be timed  ...
           double t_end   = dis_time();
           derr << "That took " << t_end - t_start << " seconds" << endl

DESCRIPTION

       dis_time  returns a floating-point number of seconds, representing elapsed wall-clock time
       since some time in the past.  The time in the past is guaranteed not to change during  the
       life  of  the process.  The user is responsible for converting large numbers of seconds to
       other units if they are preferred.  This function is portable  (it  returns  seconds,  not
       ticks),  it  allows high resolution, and carries no unnecessary baggage.  In a distributed
       environment, dis_time clocks are synchronized: different nodes return the same time  value
       at the same instant.

       seq_time is similar but the time returned is local to the node that called them and clocks
       are not synchronized: in a distributed environment, different nodes  can  return  diferent
       local times, at different instant when the call to seq_time is reached.