Re: Y2.038K (slightly off topic)

[Charles Hixson <charleshixsn earthlink net>]

John Summerfield wrote:

> > > ...
> >
> > I think that a better idea would be to expand the number of bits used to
> > represent the time.  It seems to me that time was a 64 bit signed integer, th
>
> Not if that means reformatting a few Tb of data;-)
>
> People using windowing because it allows recognition of contemporary dates in
> the same amount of space they always used.
>
> If you change the data, then you have to change and retest EVERY program that
> looks at it, even programs that don't use the date.
>
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But if the change is folded in now (as an option), then by the time that 2038 rolls
around "nearly everybody" will already be compliant.  That's why you start early.
And you don't make it :"You MUST do it NOW!!", because some folk have legitimate
reasons for wanting to wait.  But if you make it the default, with some way to
recognize data in the old format, and some (easy) way to override the default, then
there isn't any problem.


-- (c) Charles Hixson
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