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From: jrb@wdl1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.bugs
Subject: Re: Computer bugs in the year 2000
Message-ID: <212@wdl1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 11:36:26 EST
Article-I.D.: wdl1.212
Posted: Mon Jan 21 11:36:26 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 09:13:38 EST
Sender: notes@wdl1.UUCP
Organization: Ford Aerospace, Western Development Laboratories
Lines: 18
Nf-ID: #R:reed:-82000:wdl1:12500001:000:635
Nf-From: wdl1!jrb    Jan 21 08:24:00 1985

Referring to an article on Julian Dates  by  Gordon  King  in  Dr
Dobb's Journal #80 (June 1983) pages 66-70.

Most computer systems use  some  form  of  modified  Julian  date
internally  because  it is compact to store and simple arithmetic
can be used on them.

A Julian date algorithm for a 16 bit computer is valid for ~179.4
years  (65,536  days) This is used as an offset from a base year,
usually 1900.  Such an algorithm would then stop working in 2079.
The  base  year has to be chosen fairly carefully because of leap
years.

				John R Blaker
				UUCP:	...!fortune!wdl1!jrb
				ARPA:	jrb@FORD-WDL1
				and	blaker@FORD-WDL2