5 ms·

"This may seem like a distant problem, but, as Tom Scott recently observed, the year-2038 apocalypse is now closer to the present than the year-2000 problem."

by jzl 8y ago

"This may seem like a distant problem, but, as Tom Scott recently observed, the year-2038 apocalypse is now closer to the present than the year-2000 problem." Wow, I knew it was approaching soonish, but that's an eye-opening way of putting it. I wonder how many pre-2000 kernel versions are being used in devices right this moment.

gmueckl 8y ago
> I wonder how many pre-2000 kernel versions are being used in devices right this moment. That one is simple to answer: too many.
BurningFrog 8y ago
That doesn't change that it's a solid 19 years away.
- ams6110 8y ago
  Exactly what programmers were saying in 1981.
  - jeremyjh 8y ago
    Were they wrong? y2k was a non-event, unless you were a consultant cashing in.
    - Dylan16807 8y ago
      "Fixing the brakes on my car was a non-event, unless you count the mechanic cashing in."
      - jeremyjh 8y ago
        Routine automative work is a good analogy. There was programming work to do, people did it in time, and life went on.
        Dylan16807 8y ago
        Well don't insult the people that fixed it and kept it from being a giant problem. It wasn't a non-event, because it took a lot of effort to make everyone aware of the need to fix the bugs. It's like routine maintenance except that every single device involved is going to hit problems right about at the same time, with almost no signs of trouble until the exact second it falls over. So it's not harder to fix, but if it's not fixed then it hits vastly harder.
        jeremyjh 8y ago
        I was one of those people fixing it. How is it insulting to say that the biggest impact was the enrichment of the people working on it?
        Dylan16807 8y ago
        "non-event unless you were cashing in" pretty strongly implies it wasn't necessary.
        jogjayr 8y ago
        My dad worked for an IT consulting firm in that era - so Y2K literally put a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I didn't see it as insulting. It was important work, everyone understood the urgency, worked diligently on fixing it, and got the job done with a minimum of fuss. The fact that so many people today think of Y2K as an overrated problem is testament to how good of a job everyone did.
  - BurningFrog 8y ago
    They were right!

by jzl 8y ago

gmueckl 8y ago

> I wonder how many pre-2000 kernel versions are being used in devices right this moment. That one is simple to answer: too many.

BurningFrog 8y ago

That doesn't change that it's a solid 19 years away.

ams6110 8y ago
Exactly what programmers were saying in 1981.
- jeremyjh 8y ago
  Were they wrong? y2k was a non-event, unless you were a consultant cashing in.
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    "Fixing the brakes on my car was a non-event, unless you count the mechanic cashing in."
    - jeremyjh 8y ago
      Routine automative work is a good analogy. There was programming work to do, people did it in time, and life went on.
      - Dylan16807 8y ago
        Well don't insult the people that fixed it and kept it from being a giant problem. It wasn't a non-event, because it took a lot of effort to make everyone aware of the need to fix the bugs. It's like routine maintenance except that every single device involved is going to hit problems right about at the same time, with almost no signs of trouble until the exact second it falls over. So it's not harder to fix, but if it's not fixed then it hits vastly harder.
        jeremyjh 8y ago
        I was one of those people fixing it. How is it insulting to say that the biggest impact was the enrichment of the people working on it?
        Dylan16807 8y ago
        "non-event unless you were cashing in" pretty strongly implies it wasn't necessary.
        jogjayr 8y ago
        My dad worked for an IT consulting firm in that era - so Y2K literally put a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I didn't see it as insulting. It was important work, everyone understood the urgency, worked diligently on fixing it, and got the job done with a minimum of fuss. The fact that so many people today think of Y2K as an overrated problem is testament to how good of a job everyone did.
- BurningFrog 8y ago
  They were right!