Re: year 2038 is only 12 years away

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From: "Andreas K. Huettel" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: year 2038 is only 12 years away
Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:52:00 +0100
Message-ID: <47880055.fMDQidcC6G@noumea>
Organization: Gentoo Linux
In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
MIME-Version: 1.0


Am Sonntag, 18. Januar 2026, 03:28:13 Mitteleurop=C3=A4ische Normalzeit sch=
rieb Bernhard M. Wiedemann:
> Today is Y2K38 commemoration day T-12
>=20
> I have written before about it multiple times:
> https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/10fqx1t/today_is_y2k38_commemorat=
ion_day/
> https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/19a95cl/today_is_y2k38_commemorat=
ion_day_t14/
> https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1i4otpo/today_is_y2k38_commemorat=
ion_day_t13/
> https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/xjtf3q/in_the_year_2038/
>=20
> It is worth remembering that in 12 years from now, after=20
> 2038-01-19T03:14:07 UTC, the UNIX Epoch will not fit into a signed=20
> 32-bit integer variable anymore. This will not only affect i586 and=20
> armv7 platforms, but also x86_64 where in many places 32-bit ints are=20
> used to keep track of UNIX time values.
>=20

[...]

> I think, some distributions already started to compile their 32-bit code=
=20
> with `-D_TIME_BITS=3D64 -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=3D64` but that is only part o=
f=20
> the solution.
> Code that handles timestamps regularly gets added or rewritten and every=
=20
> time, developers need to remember to not use `int` there (nor `long` on=20
> 32-bit systems) but `long long` or `int64_t` or just `time_t`. I myself=20
> sent PRs in the past using `atol` for timestamps. We should not do that=20
> anymore. same for `scanf("%l")`.

=46WIW Gentoo is ready for testing 64bit time_t on 32bit architectures; we =
have bootstrapped=20
all (*) our 32bit installation stages also separately with this force-enabl=
ed. The 64bit=20
time_t installations can be recognized by a ...t64 suffix of the CHOST, e.g=
=2E,=20
i486-pc-linux-gnut64.

We will prepare an orderly migration for our users sometime this year.

[*] OK, with exception of 32bit sparc, hppa, and 31bit s390. I didn't bothe=
r with these yet.


=2D-=20
PD Dr. Andreas K. H=C3=BCttel
[email protected]
Gentoo Linux developer=20
(council, comrel, toolchain, base-system, perl, libreoffice)
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Dilfridge
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