Computer Training Success

change a field from signed to unsigned, to save a small amount of memory.

allow the program tape to be recorded onto, supposedly onto blank training tape. (curiously the intended code to do the recording is mysteriously replaced by other code that overwrites the program)
To daxbert:

I. Person in question made a special appointment with the document custodian for the project. (Someone had had the foresight to ensure there was a secure copy of documentation -presumably to prevent this sort of foolery). So the secure copy was doctored, changed from signed to unsigned.
Later on it was realised the original design was correct, the signed field was needed.
What kind of person would bypass existing procedures to save memory.
Person in question is named Sandra White. May be still on the job. (this was 1979 in Canberra)

II. Program tape for a submarine.
Some fool decided to use the program tape as black box recorder.
Unbelievable stupidity.
Funny coincidence that the planned code change wasn’t the one that was issued. Hard to see how it could get worse than the stupidity of writing on the program tape. But it did. The code change, intended to allow writing, corrupted the tape. Culprits are presumably still on the job, raking in $$$
I never suggested there was a memory saving, or any sort of saving.

Gabriel