Date: Sat, 02 Jan 1999 12:09:21 -0800 From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> To: Matt Curtin <cmcurtin@interhack.net> Cc: sporkl@ix.netcom.com, "Steven P. Donegan" <donegan@quick.net>, current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Y2K, Y 2038? Message-ID: <199901022009.MAA00540@dingo.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "02 Jan 1999 08:31:22 EST." <xlxzp81pzrp.fsf@gold.cis.ohio-state.edu>
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> Spike Gronim <spork@ix.netcom.com> writes: > > > In 2038 32 bit systems are going to run out of room to keep counting > > seconds. This is 38 years off, and will hopefully be fixed by then. > > We'll run out of seconds on 32 bit systems well before 38 years from > now. Consider that some banks are now offering 35 year mortgages, and > that it will be necessary to perform date calculations to the end of > those loans. This reflects a common fallacy, namely that the time format used by the operating system to report the value of "now" is meant for general purpose time calculations. It isn't, and the correct fix is, as it always has been, to select the time format to suit the application. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
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