2038 Bug in Linux!!!

[Naveej.K.A]

Hi,

http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/may/06linux.htm

I happen to read this article some days back and was just curious to have your views on the impact of this. I know that this is not going to effect > 32bit computers.

what will happen for a 16 bit computers??

and what for a 8 bits??

and why this only for linux and not on other flavours??

lots of questions in my mind!!!!

Regards,
Naveej

[Naveej.K.A]

Or is this just a media hype??

[Claudio Cilloni · Accepted solution]

I think this problem is for all unix-like systems, not only for linux.

Yes, there are millions of source code lines that count on 32 bits dates, but the open source community will not (I hope) sit down staring at the clock like the windows systems users for the Y2K bug. And the Y2K bug didn't create so much troubles like media said... It could be a media hype...

the high-rate of software updates that is typical of the open source software is helpful to prevent any kind of bug... and we're starting to see 64 bits desktop machines... in the 2038 year they will be the most part of the pc installed everywhere.

ciao
Claudio

[Steven E. Protter]

Probably hype.

More important, assume its real. How many of todays computers running todays code will be around in 2038?

I will be approaching retirement age by then.

SEP

[Huc_1]

Media Hype !
A problem !, yes just one more that is, and surely not only on linux platforms, that it means work and chances for some and money spend for others... yes

ex: Chance for me to write this reply and boost, perhaps even gain some point

money spend stocking this reply on disk sending this al over the place , the time you will probably waste by reading this!...etc

You actions cast long shadows ! (but could the person that decided to include this into c language forsee all the interaction of his choice ?, surely not

Like always we will cross that bridge when whe get to it!.

Jean-Pierre Huc

[Bryan Eley]

I would agree that this may be hype to a certain degree that linux is going to encounter problems 33 years from now. Not that the current incarnation wouldn't encounter the problem, but quite a lot can happen in 30+ years that would remove the issue.

Think back to 1972, which is as distant to us as 2038 is. I'll create a punch card to programmatically figure out what the odds are. Wait, those don't exist anymore. Did people even have personal computers the same way we do now? Did Linux even exist? True, C programming was invented in 1972, but did cell phones exist? CDs/DVDs? What about the gas combustion engine? Oops, that dinosaur is still with us. ;-) To be fair, they didn't think the Y2K bug would be a problem in a similar timeframe, but I think that was more a hardware architectural problem than an OS issue, but then we were supposed to have colonies on the moon 4 years ago serviced by PanAM shuttles a la "2001: A space Odessy". Or else the Jetsons. I'm not overly concerned since in 33 years linux (or Microsoft) might not even exist as we will be wiped out by those pesky Schwarzeneggerish Terminator robots. :D

[Gopi Sekar]

surely nothing but media hype. its a long way to go and in todayÅ computer industry everyday we are seeing new inventions and new advances in technology.

64 bit computers are already in to market and in another few years all 32 bit desktops will be replaced by 64 bit systems (?).

Moreover if linux can stand till 2038, which I personally dont believe so, then it would be just another medium bug for linux developers to solve.

[renarios]

Hi Naveej,

It's a long while to 2038. According "Moore's law" we don't remember this supposed very big issue anymore by then. Imagen: 2038... By then, I'll tell my grandson about 8 bit computers, and he will lauch at me and not believe they have ever existed.
Don't get stressed, the UNIX community will have solved it.

Cheerio,

Renarios