From owner-freebsd-chat Fri Jul 24 05:44:15 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id FAA29958 for freebsd-chat-outgoing; Fri, 24 Jul 1998 05:44:15 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from garlic.acadiau.ca (root@garlic.acadiau.ca [131.162.2.48]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id FAA29953 for ; Fri, 24 Jul 1998 05:44:13 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from marc@acadiau.ca) Received: from iceberg (iceberg [131.162.2.91]) by garlic.acadiau.ca (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id JAA07611; Fri, 24 Jul 1998 09:43:47 -0300 (ADT) Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 09:43:46 -0300 (ADT) From: Marc Fournier X-Sender: marc@iceberg To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG cc: the_gang@hub.org Subject: [FYI] Tribute to the Year 2000 (fwd) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org (Read to the tune of "Gilligan's Island," more or less) Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale Of the doom that is our fate. That started when programmers used Two digits for a date. Two digits for a date. Main memory was smaller then; Hard disks were smaller, too. "Four digits are extravagant, So let's get by with two. So let's get by with two." "This works through 1999," The programmers did say. "Unless we rewrite before that It all will go away. It all will go away." But Management had not a clue: "It works fine now, you bet! A rewrite is a straight expense; We won't do it just yet. We won't do it just yet." Now when 2000 rolls around It all goes straight to @#%&, For zero's less than ninety-nine, As anyone can tell. As anyone can tell. The mail won't bring your pension check It won't be sent to you When you're no longer sixty-eight, But minus thirty-two. But minus thirty-two. The problems we're about to face Are frightening, for sure. And reading every line of code's The only certain cure. The only certain cure. [key change, big finish] There's not much time, There's too much code. (And Cobol-coders, few) When the century is finished with, We may be finished, too. We may be finished, too. Eight thousand years from now I hope That things weren't left too late, And people aren't then lamenting Four digits for a date. Four digits for a date. -- Helpdesk Phone: (902) 542-HELP (4357) User Support Centre Toll Free: 1-888-609-3330 Vaughan Memorial Library Fax: (902) 585-1764 Acadia University EMail: helpdesk@acadiau.ca Wolfville, NS Canada URL: http://www.acadiau.ca/helpdesk/ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message