"Problems" That Aren't Problems
Certain problematic years occur so far in the future—well beyond the likely lifespan of Earth or the Sun, and even past some predictions of the lifetime of the universe—that they are mainly referenced as matters of theoretical interest, jokes, or indications that a related problem truly is solved for any reasonable definition of "solved".
- The year 292,277,026,296 (2.9×1011) and 584,554,051,223 (5.8×1011) problems: the years that 64-bit Unix time becomes negative (assuming a signed number) or reset to zero (for an unsigned representation).
- The year 5,391,559,471,918,239,497,011,222,876,596 (5.4×1030) and 10,783,118,943,836,478,994,022,445,751,223 (1.1×1031) problems: the years that 128-bit Unix time becomes negative (assuming a signed number) or reset to zero (for an unsigned representation).
Note: these year values are based on an average year being 365.2425 days, which matches the 4/100/400 leap year rules of the common Gregorian calendar. Additional adjustments to the calendar over intervals this long are unavoidable (ignoring that all of these times far exceed the likely existence of the Earth), so the year numbers should be considered approximate.
Read more about this topic: Time Formatting And Storage Bugs
Famous quotes containing the word problems:
“We are all adult learners. Most of us have learned a good deal more out of school than in it. We have learned from our families, our work, our friends. We have learned from problems resolved and tasks achieved but also from mistakes confronted and illusions unmasked. . . . Some of what we have learned is trivial: some has changed our lives forever.”
—Laurent A. Daloz (20th century)