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From: apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: Setting a 2000 year date *HELP*
Message-ID: <2808@atari.UUCP>
Date: 14 Jan 91 21:59:08 GMT
References: <17750004@hpgnd.grenoble.hp.com> <17750005@hpgnd.grenoble.hp.com>
Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 24

I assure you it has nothing to do with being in France.  The countries
that we do ROMs for get their ROMs from headquarters, and there are no
differences in low-level time handling.

I have just done some research on the clock handling, and I think
you're  right: if you don't have a clock chip in your system (i.e. not
a Mega ST or Mega STe or TT) then the keyboard clock is regarded as the
most correct one, and it uses the "last two digits of the year" method
of keeping time.  This is too bad.  If you have a clock chip, either
the kind in the Mega ST and Mega STe (from Ricoh) or the kind in the TT
(from Motorola), then your IKBD clock is never used, and this problem
does not arise.  Also, of course, if you have some third-party clock
chip and a TSR that intercepts the Xbios Settime/Gettime calls, you
won't have this problem.  

Sorry I blew you off earlier: I forgot that there was so much variation
in timekeeping in the Atari computer line.

It is certainly possible to fix this in the BIOS or with a TSR, but
I don't think it'll be a priority for 9 years or so :-)

============================================
Opinions expressed above do not necessarily	-- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp.
reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else.	  ...ames!atari!apratt