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From: Peter Mutsaers <plm@xs4all.nl>
Subject: Re: Year 2000 problem?
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References: <3365F634.794BDF32@jnet.vi> <5k52ha$2nr@lace.colorado.edu> <01bc54d3$9d98ca00$6601a8c0@teds.portsoft.com> <5k66ro$r9l@lace.colorado.edu>
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 11:12:50 GMT
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:40031
>> On 30 Apr 1997 01:22:00 GMT, fcrary@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (Frank
>> Crary) said:
>> Although, I think it's stored as a 32-bit integer, so somewheres around
>> 2032 I think we will get hosed.
FC> Typically it's a 32-bit integer, but that's not a requirement
FC> of Unix operating systems (the machines Unix was written on
FC> back in 1972 certainly didn't use 32-bit integers...) Given
FC> how quickly technology is improving, any one who is still
FC> using 32-bit bit registers in 2032 would deserve what they
FC> get.
I'm pretty sure they used more than a 16bit integer for timekeeping
back then: 16 bits time would have wrapped after 65536/3600 hours,
which is 18 hours. Thus they would have been hosed at around 1 Jan
1970, 18:10 otherwise.
--
/\_/\
( o.o ) Peter Mutsaers | Abcoude (Utrecht), | Trust is a good quality
) ^ ( plm@xs4all.nl | the Netherlands | for other people to have