The year 2038 problem may cause some computer software to fail at some point near the year 2038. The problem affects all software and systems that both store system time as a signed 32-bit integer, and interpret this number as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on Thursday, 1 January 1970.^[1] The furthest time that can be represented this way is 03:14:07 UTC on Tuesday, 19 January 2038 (2147483647 seconds after January 1st, 1970).^[2] Times beyond this moment will "wrap around" and be stored internally as a negative number, which these systems will interpret as a date in December 13, 1901 rather than January 19, 2038. This is caused by integer overflow. The counter "runs out" of usable bits, "increments" the sign bit instead, and reports a maximally negative number (continuing to count up, toward zero). This is likely to cause problems for users of these systems due to erroneous calculations.

 

Most programs written in the C programming language are relatively immune to the Y2K problem, but suffer instead from the Year 2038 problem. This problem arises because most C programs use a library of routines called the standard time library . This library establishes a standard 4-byte format for the storage of time values, and also provides a number of functions for converting, displaying and calculating time values.

The standard 4-byte format assumes that the beginning of time is January 1, 1970, at 12:00:00 a.m. This value is 0. Any time/date value is expressed as the number of seconds following that zero value. So the value 919642718 is 919,642,718 seconds past 12:00:00 a.m. on January 1, 1970, which is Sunday, February 21, 1999, at 16:18:38 Pacific time (U.S.). This is a convenient format because if you subtract any two values, what you get is a number of seconds that is the time difference between them. Then you can use other functions in the library to determine how many minutes/hours/days/months/years have passed between the two times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question75.htm

Edited June 22, 201411 yr by rss3781

Hopefully nothing too serious will happen. It would be nice if they could fix most issues before then, like they did before Y2K occurred.

I'm not worried.

Edited June 22, 201411 yr by Requiem

I guess we're all dead then :( 

I don't understand the purpose of this thread. Are you trying to bring about a discussion of what people think? Or are you just copying Wikipedia information for the fun of it?

 

To be more on topic however, (assuming you are trying to bring about a discussion) I'm pretty certain that the majority of developers will have fixed this "issue" before it even becomes an issue. 2038 is 24 years away. I have absolutely no concern.

If someuse still uses 32bit ints in 2038, their software deserves to die. Changing target architecture to x64 and recompiling will do the trick in most cases without any change to the actual code necessary.

I'm pretty sure any software and systems we have now will be obsolete by then and the new programs we will have then will not have this issue.

If someuse still uses 32bit ints in 2038, their software deserves to die. Changing target architecture to x64 and recompiling will do the trick in most cases without any change to the actual code necessary.

To be fair: Software can have to deal with decades in the future. IIRC, banks actually ran into a bit of trouble around 2008 or so, because 30-year mortgages went past 2038.

Same was going to happen in 2000 and here we are...

Also, OP, if you wish to spark discussions, please do not just copy the wiki page in hopes that'll be enough. Feel free to link it and say something about it instead. 

No more LCPDFR? ;(

oh wow thanks for this info op,  i alswys wonderd about this! the same thing happnd in 2003 (y-too-k) but gorge bush took care of it, i hope that my robot doge wont get hurt, thanks for this, I will re-post this every where for awareness!

 

But yeah, I will worry about this when 2038 actually comes ;)

 

My opin-onion™ is pretty much same as the posts above me.

Honestly, i doubt this will happen because by the time 2038 comes, hardly anything will run on a 32bit operating system. the only people that probably will are places that don't have time to upgrade (like government places)

Well, this isn't for another 24 years so...I think we'll all be fine

No more LCPDFR? ;(

LCPD:FR will be extinct by that year, lol. GTA 7 or 8 would be out by then (if Rockstar exists then as well).