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Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!dmmartindale
From: dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: net.bugs,net.flame,net.puzzle
Subject: Re: Computer bugs in the year 2000
Message-ID: <1128@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Feb-85 01:05:39 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.1128
Posted: Sat Feb  2 01:05:39 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 11:12:20 EST
References: <246@cheviot.UUCP> <974@utastro.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 16
Xref: watmath net.bugs:532 net.flame:8158 net.puzzle:537

In article <974@utastro.UUCP> nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) writes:
>The year 2000 *is* a leap year, despite what many algorithms tell you.
>The year 2400 is *not* a leap year.
>
>With minimal effort, you can make things work until 2399.  You may be
>subject to complaints after that.

Are you absolutely sure of this?  (your trailer DOES say you work come
from an astronomy department....)

My understanding was that years divisible by 4 were leap years, except
 that years divisible by 100 were not, except that years divisible by
 400 were - giving 97 leap days every 400 years.

According to that pattern, 2000 IS a leap year, and the naive year-mod-4
algorithms will work properly until 2099, not 2399.