From owner-freebsd-questions  Mon Jan  6 01:53:04 1997
Return-Path: <owner-questions>
Received: (from root@localhost)
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) id BAA24280
          for questions-outgoing; Mon, 6 Jan 1997 01:53:04 -0800 (PST)
Received: from perki0.connect.com.au (perki0.connect.com.au [192.189.54.85])
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) with ESMTP id BAA24272
          for <questions@freebsd.org>; Mon, 6 Jan 1997 01:53:01 -0800 (PST)
Received: (from Unemeton@localhost) by perki0.connect.com.au id UAA20141
  (8.7.6h/IDA-1.6); Mon, 6 Jan 1997 20:52:44 +1100 (EST)
X-Authentication-Warning: perki0.connect.com.au: Unemeton set sender to giles@nemeton.com.au using -f
>Received: from localhost.nemeton.com.au (localhost.nemeton.com.au [127.0.0.1])
          by nemeton.com.au (8.8.4/8.8.4) with SMTP
	  id UAA01332; Mon, 6 Jan 1997 20:51:57 +1100 (EST)
Message-Id: <199701060951.UAA01332@nemeton.com.au>
To: "Sean Batson (Sunbeach)" <seanb012@sunbeach.net>
cc: questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Year 2000 time change(Format support) 
In-reply-to: <Pine.BSF.3.95.970105154311.2226B-100000@bsdi.net> 
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 20:51:56 +1100
From: Giles Lean <giles@nemeton.com.au>
Content-Type: text
Sender: owner-questions@freebsd.org
X-Loop: FreeBSD.org
Precedence: bulk


[moved to -questions from -hackers]

On Sun, 5 Jan 1997 15:45:45 -0400 (AST)  "Sean Batson (Sunbeach)" wrote:

> Is FreeBSD ready for the year 2000 time change and 
> what are the effects if the support for this format
> isn't implemented asap with the OS?

The operating system proper (time structures, filesytem dates, etc) is
OK.  What utilities assume '19' or sort on two digit date fields is
anyone's guess.

I would not expect to see problems of a serious nature (crashes,
hangs, filesystem corruption) but do expect to see a few display
oddities.

As an example, the GNU gnats utility 'query-pr' (which isn't part of
FreeBSD) has a two digit year format when used in its '--sql' mode.
(This is despite the PRs maintaining four digits internally.)

Now while query-pr won't break, pretty much anything using its '--sql'
export format and sorting it in the C locale won't sort '00' higher
than '99'.

The "solution" to the year 2000 problem is analysis of critical
applications, testing testing and more testing, and having a pool of
dollars and trained staff to *quickly* fix the problems as they are
discovered.

Regards,

Giles