The end of the word in 2038 [LWN.net]

The end of the word in 2038

Posted Jan 5, 2012 16:54 UTC (Thu) by eru (subscriber, #2753)
In reply to: Linux at the end of the world (our 2012 predictions) by dlang
Parent article: Linux at the end of the world (our 2012 predictions)

I wonder if there will be embedded Linux (or BSD) systems running some critical function, which nobody has updated for decades. Or maybe updated to patch something at the application level, but nobody realises the OS contains a time bomb...

OK, now I sound like trying to replay the Y2K scare. But Y2K was a non-event because the patching efforts succeeded on time. This had the side-effect of making the people worrying about it look silly. But would it have got fixed without them? Doomsday scenarios got the attention of bosses, making them allocate resources for fixing.

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The end of the word in 2038

Posted Jan 24, 2012 12:10 UTC (Tue) by Jonno (guest, #49613) [Link]

Well, I'm currently working on implementing a new embedded control system, that is intended to be used in production for the next 15-20 years, with each manufactured machine having a projected lifespan of 15-20 years. The software will run on a 32bit ARM CPU using time_t for all time operations.

All the engineers on the project know this will not work out in the long run, but the managers either don't care or don't understand...