Sethomas
Jan 14th, 2008, 07:48 PM
I got curious about how the calendars are calculated in Windows, so I tried to change the date on my copy of Windows XP to February 2100. Many people don't know it, but 2100 is NOT a leap year. I had the instinctive guess that computer programmers simplified the dating algorithms in such a way that wouldn't reflect this, but the highest year I could get my computer to recognize was 2099.
Now, I know what you might say. Surely something better than XP or even Vista will be around by the time this becomes a problem. This is all contingent even on the assumption that the Rapture will not have happened by then anyways! However, you have to remember that computer programmers are a simple lot, and I fear that the next ninety or so years will fly by and they'll never get around to writing a better calendar algorithm. I have a suspicion that this conversation will come about (in Esperanto, of course):
"Hey guys, my computer says that next year, 2100, is a leap year. We need to fix this!"
"Umm, dude, 2100 is divisible by 4, so it's a leap year."
"NO! Yes, it's divisible by 4, but it's also divisible by 100, which means that it's not a leap year!"
"The year 2000 was a leap year, and it was divisible by 100. Chill, dude!"
"Yes, but 2000 is divisible by 400, which means that it IS a leap year despite being divisible by 100 as well!"
"Dude, you're freaking me out. Do you realize how retarded you sound? Quit making this shit up."
The next year, computers worldwide register the existence of an extra day and so begins THE APOCALYPSE.
Now, I know what you might say. Surely something better than XP or even Vista will be around by the time this becomes a problem. This is all contingent even on the assumption that the Rapture will not have happened by then anyways! However, you have to remember that computer programmers are a simple lot, and I fear that the next ninety or so years will fly by and they'll never get around to writing a better calendar algorithm. I have a suspicion that this conversation will come about (in Esperanto, of course):
"Hey guys, my computer says that next year, 2100, is a leap year. We need to fix this!"
"Umm, dude, 2100 is divisible by 4, so it's a leap year."
"NO! Yes, it's divisible by 4, but it's also divisible by 100, which means that it's not a leap year!"
"The year 2000 was a leap year, and it was divisible by 100. Chill, dude!"
"Yes, but 2000 is divisible by 400, which means that it IS a leap year despite being divisible by 100 as well!"
"Dude, you're freaking me out. Do you realize how retarded you sound? Quit making this shit up."
The next year, computers worldwide register the existence of an extra day and so begins THE APOCALYPSE.