Comment on The Epochalypse: It’s Y2K, But 38 Years Later
Zorque@lemmy.world 1 month agoThere was also a worldwide effort to fix any potential problems before they happened.
Issue 2038 will be easier to fix because many systems are already 64-bit, as 32-bit systems could only handle 4 GB of RAM, and programs need more RAM.
The only issue would be critical issues that run on 32-bit systems and must be fixed before that date.
32-bit systems could only handle 4 GB of RAM
I don’t understand why people always say that. Pentium Pro could handle 64 GB even though it was a 32 bit CPU. It had a 36 bit address bus. Later models are the same.
People say it because it was a Windows limitation, not a computing limitation. Windows Server had support for more, but for consumers, it wasn’t easily doable. I believe there’s modern workarounds though. The real limit is how much memory a single application can address at any given time.
The only issue would be critical issues that run on 32-bit systems and must be fixed before that date.
So, many banks and government agencies which still run on mainframes…
What does a 64-bit system and 4GB RAM have to do with using 64bit timestamps?
32bit systems can use 64bit values without issue. In fact, even an 8bit system can handle 256bit values or even longer ones without issue.
The bittiness of a CPU and its address space have nothing to do with the length of usable data unless you end up with data longer than the RAM volume (and even then there’s swap).
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Cobol mavens burned both ends of the candle and made bank, while making banks work.
Many were old enough to retire after that.