3 ms·
The Y2K bug, in the public imagination, was premised on code like this existing somewhere in our computers: const DATE_COMPUTERS_DID_NOT_EXIST = /* arbitrary
by CiPHPerCoder 7y ago
The Y2K bug, in the public imagination, was premised on code like this existing somewhere in our computers:
const DATE_COMPUTERS_DID_NOT_EXIST = /* arbitrary */;
/* snip */
if (Date::now() < DATE_COMPUTERS_DID_NOT_EXIST) {
Computer::selfDestruct();
}
(See also: the Simpsons Y2K episode, which I think is a good representation of what many non-tech people believed would happen.)
I think it's a great lesson in the failings of the public imagination and should serve as a warning to not give into moral panics.