Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 21:35:36 -0500 (CDT) From: Jim Bryant <jbryant@unix.tfs.net> To: peter.jeremy@auss2.alcatel.com.au (Peter Jeremy) Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: proposal to not change time_t Message-ID: <199808190235.VAA12287@unix.tfs.net> In-Reply-To: <98Aug19.105412est.40322@border.alcanet.com.au> from Peter Jeremy at "Aug 19, 98 10:54:27 am"
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In reply: > Overall, I don't believe that creating a new interface using a new > q_time_t is warranted. BSD managed to change off_t from 32-bits to > 64-bits without breaking everything. It should be possible to > similarly change time_t. actually it isn't that it would be hard to do in one fell swoop, it's that hundreds of thousands of user apps would also break from this kind of fundamental change. if you work at alcatel, you no doubt understand how much of a pain a fell-swoop approach to time related problems really is dealing with y2k issues. with slices, a simple change was made. with threading, a minor, but irritating change was made. with time_t, people would jump out of windows if the change was really sudden. off_t was a breeze compared to all that is involved with changing time_t. ask your neighbor about y2k, watch how paranoid he gets. the general public is getting quietly paranoid about the y2k problem. we have 40 years to solve the time_t problem, let's do it now, but we don't have to do it in one fell swoop. fundamental change will always be met with opposition. conversion would be best done in steps. if we do it now, it is likely that our method could be adopted by the large commercial unix companies out there, say five or ten years from now, sooner if they want to stay ahead of Mickey$oft. i'm just surprised the csrg didn't do this. jim -- All opinions expressed are mine, if you | "I will not be pushed, stamped, think otherwise, then go jump into turbid | briefed, debriefed, indexed, or radioactive waters and yell WAHOO !!! | numbered!" - #1, "The Prisoner" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inet: jbryant@tfs.net AX.25: kc5vdj@wv0t.#neks.ks.usa.noam grid: EM28pw voice: KC5VDJ - 6 & 2 Meters AM/FM/SSB, 70cm FM. http://www.tfs.net/~jbryant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HF/6M/2M: IC-706-MkII, 2M: HTX-212, 2M: HTX-202, 70cm: HTX-404, Packet: KPC-3+ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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