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Date:      Sun, 16 Jan 2000 14:03:12 -0800
From:      "David Schwartz" <davids@webmaster.com>
To:        "Omachonu Ogali" <oogali@intranova.net>, "Matthew Hunt" <mph@astro.caltech.edu>
Cc:        "Eivind Eklund" <eivind@FreeBSD.ORG>, <chat@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   RE: I will never trust NBC news again!
Message-ID:  <003301bf606d$7b846840$021d85d1@youwant.to>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.10.10001161218390.78224-100000@hydrant.intranova.net>

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> > > There are some institutions and organizations (such as banks and crime
> > > departments) that need to record dates that happened before 1970.

> Why isn't it and why can't it be?

	Because no currently existing standard currently guarantees the valid range
of a 'time_t' to extend before 1970. If an application has specific date
requirements, it must use libraries and routines that are guaranteed to
function over that time range. Anything else is programming negligence.

	This is why I say that we desperately need a new time API. And we need to
get it standardized and deployed well before 2038. :)

	DS



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