[Discuss] Unix date beyond 2057

[Patrick]

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:38:31 -0800 (PST)
Alan W. Irwin wrote:

> On 2008-02-28 14:25-0800 pw wrote:
> 
> > pw wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >> 
> >> Does anyone know if there is a patch for
> >> unix date to allow dates beyond 2057?
> >> 
> >> Thanks
> >> 
> >> Peter
> >
> > Actually that should be 2037 not 2057.
> >
> > The date function doesn't complain about
> > dates beyond 2038 through 2057 but it generates
> > dates that are wrong beyond 01/19/2038.
> 
> Yes, on 32-bit Linux boxes time is currently stored as _signed_ 32 bit
> integer number of seconds since epoch (1970 or so) which works out to a
> range of approximately +/- 68 years from the epoch.  However, on 64-bit
> Linux machines, the valid date range grows to +/- 300 billion years!

Hey, that's pretty neat.  I thought they'd have to root out the
32-bit-date references in the software, and fix them [yes, all of
them...].  But if it's really just a matter of recompiling for
different hardware, no problem.

> 
> That is an illustration of Eric Raymond's point that there is no conceivable
> need for machines with word lengths larger than 64 bits so he predicts the
> current transition from 32-bit to 64-bit that is going on is probably the
> last such transition for the human race.  Normally, I pooh-pooh any such
> conclusion about limits for computers because so many have been so wrong
> about that before, but nevertheless, a 128-bit machine would have integer
> ranges that are 2^{64} times larger than a current 64-bit machine, and it
> really is hard to conceive of any practical software application that would
> overflow such a huge integer range.

Maybe, but some of that software might want to write software
that overflows such a huge integer range.


> 
> Alan

Patrick.

-- 
Scientists were preparing an experiment to ask the ultimate question.
They had worked for months gathering one each of every computer that was
built. Finally the big day was at hand.  All the computers were linked
together.  They asked the question, "Is there a God?".  Lights started
blinking, flashing and blinking some more.  Suddenly, there was a loud
crash, and a bolt of lightning came down from the sky, struck the
computers, and welded all the connections permanently together.  "There
is now", came the reply.

[Okay, fortune wasn't quite as random as usual, this time...]