Xref: utzoo comp.text:2322 comp.std.internat:385
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!dcs!wnp
From: wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul)
Newsgroups: comp.text,comp.std.internat
Subject: Re: Dates (was American vs. European numerical usage)
Summary: Enough already!
Message-ID: <186@dcs.UUCP>
Date: 27 Aug 88 10:58:43 GMT
References: <3900@enea.se> <1785@water.waterloo.edu> <183@dcs.UUCP> <126@jetson.UPMA.MD.US> <764@philmds.UUCP>
Reply-To: wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul)
Organization: DCS, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 38

In article <764@philmds.UUCP> hulsebos@philmds.UUCP (Rob Hulsebos) writes:
>In article <183@dcs.UUCP>, wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul) writes:
>> I don't think [the turn of the century] will cause major confusion.
>> The world weathered the last turn of the century, too, didn't it?
>
>I once saw a computer-system in which only the last two digits of the
>year of birth could be entered. This worked fine until somebody
>born near the end of the 19th century showed up.

Enough already! I didn't suggest that there would be NO difficulties associated
with (a) the turn of the century or (b) two-digit years.

The posting I was responding to lamented the fact that it would be difficult
to get EVERYBODY using international-style dates (YYYY MM DD), and that even
in countries which use it, the abbreviated, two-digit year was very common.
He suggested that THAT would cause major confusion 13 years from now.

Programmers who totally forget that this is not the only century have ALWAYS
run into problems (see the posting quoted above), it's got nothing to do
with 13 years from now;

Programmers ALWAYS have had to make allowances in their code for the fact that
the general population does not think like a hacker -- even the average computer
operator in, say, an insurance company or bank, doesn't think like a hacker.

Again: the way people write or don't write their dates will NOT cause major
confusion 13 years from now, no more than it's causing now. Sloppy programming,
in this area as in many others, has the potential to ALWAYS cause major trouble.

People's panic reactions (like taking your money out on Dec. 31, 1999) WILL 
INDEED cause major confusion and trouble -- computers or no computers,
two-digit or four-digit years notwithstanding. At every turn of the century 
throughout history, it have been freak reactions which have caused confusion,
not the inefficiencies or imperfections of everyday practices.
-- 
Wolf N. Paul * 3387 Sam Rayburn Run * Carrollton TX 75007 * (214) 306-9101
UUCP:     killer!dcs!wnp                 ESL: 62832882
DOMAIN:   dcs!wnp@killer.dallas.tx.us    TLX: 910-380-0585 EES PLANO UD