64-bit time_t must go--this is non-negotiable

Garrett Wollman wollman at khavrinen.lcs.mit.edu
Thu Jun 17 21:20:28 UTC 2004


<<On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 13:57:36 -0400, "Olson, Arthur David (NIH/NCI)" <olsona at dc37a.nci.nih.gov> said:

> Given that time_t has been a 32-bit entity since day one of UNIX, there are
> a slew of binary executables out there that are built on the premise, as
> well as plenty of values stored in disk files (take UNIX accounting logs,
> please). That makes it an extremely bad idea to redefine time_t as a 64-bit
> value.

Too late.  Many if not most 64-bit operating systems have already
decided, irrevocably, that time_t will be 64 bits.

-GAWollman




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