Re: Y2K ProDOS 8 (2.0.3)

["Charlie" <charlied@NOSPAMbboard.com>]

"Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com> wrote in message
257d7207.0307101716.1ea07009@posting.google.com">news:257d7207.0307101716.1ea07009@posting.google.com...
> "Michael Pender" <mpender@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:<x49Pa.71588$n%5.56799@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>...
> > Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com> wrote in message
> > 20030710024051.00221.00000126@mb-m03.aol.com">news:20030710024051.00221.00000126@mb-m03.aol.com...
> > >
> > > But Apple chose to go a different route, with year values from
> > > 40-99 meaning 1940-1999 and years from 00-39 meaning
> > > 2000-2039.  Relatively little software actually implements
> > > this fold point, but having the definition out there certainly
> > > biases the argument!
> > >
> >  ...snip...
> > >
> > > If a spate of new software or updates arrive for the Apple II,
> > > this issue will need to be resolved.  Certainly, the "official"
> > > opinion of Apple must weigh heavily in this resolution.
> >
> > Actually, I think we should come up with something better than either of
> > these approaches or we'll be having the same discussion in 36 years.  ;-)
>
> Since the space allocated in directory structures will not allow more
> than 7 bits for the year information, it is unlikely that this issue
> can be eliminated as a problem.  A rolling fold-over date is a reasonable
> adaptation to the problem, and having a problem twice a century seems
> quite reasonable to me.  The Apple II community is not the Social
> Security Administration.  ;-)
>
> -michael

I believe all the file creation and mod fields (date and time) take up four
bytes which contain 5 unused bits (although they are in the field used for
time).  Using those 5 bits in conjunction with the 7 bits already allocated
would have allowed 4096 years.  Why this wasn't done originally is a mystery to
me.

Charlie