Why is 09-09-99 a problem?

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September 9, 1999, will be 09-09-(19)99. Why would this kick off the 9999 subroutines/stops?

-- Helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), March 19, 1999

Answers

I'd worry about the nuc power plants on the eastern side of North America if I were you. No disrespect, but I think July 1/1999999 will be the big day for making a final decision about y2k.

-- Y2K.AOK.LOU (louie.miotti@sait.ab.ca), March 19, 1999.

Error and end-of-file flags were coded as '9', using the date field as a repository, in older main frames programs. So they'd do something like:

John 1973 9999 (just means end-of-file, not year, but stored in year field, thus potential for confusion)

It'll be another thing like the JAE.

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), March 19, 1999.


Error and end-of-file flags were coded as '9', using the date field as a repository, in older main frames programs. So they'd do something like: John 1973
9999 (just means end-of-file, not year, but stored in year field, thus potential for confusion) It'll be another thing like the JAE.

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), March 19, 1999.

So far, none of the code remediators either here or in csy2k has ever found that this date causes a problem in any code. If it in fact does exist anywhere, it'll be very very rare. This appears to be a false alarm.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), March 19, 1999.

This is one area that, IMHO, is being overblown. First, an "end of file" flag would probably be 99/99/99, not 09/09/99. Second, it is unlikely that a date field would be used for this type of flag. Finally, it has been suggested that 99/99/99 would fail a date validation routine, so 09/09/99 would be used since it is a valid date. However, the programmer would be very aware of this exception, and in fact would either never use the validation routine in this case, or use 99/99/99 to force the exception, and examine the field in an exception processing routine and take appropriate action. So, all considered, I think the odds of this being a problem are very slim. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 19, 1999.


The 9th of April happens to be the 99th day of the year and is also the day on which couples will want to conceive if they wish to produce a millennium baby .... as opposed to a millennium bug!

Bugbite :o)

-- Bugbite (Bugbite@mosquito.net), March 20, 1999.


yup...no 99 predictions here....

-- anon a moose (anon@I.mous), September 10, 1999.

Yo. "anon". One reply on the thread appears to assert that there might be problems on 9/9/99. And two deny that there will be such problems.

You are one desperate, grasping-at-straws pea-brained anonymous coward.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 10, 1999.


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