Subject: Re: 'Leap Second' to Be Added on New Year's Eve This Year   
   From: Mark Lloyd    
       
   On 01/01/2017 12:46 PM, Wally W. wrote:   
       
   [snip]   
       
   > As I understand it, NT time uses a signed integer and tops out at   
   > 0x7FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF = in the year 30828   
   >   
   > Unhappily, no sources suggest using negative integers will allow   
   > setting the timestamp before the year 1600.   
       
   What is the resolution of this clock? You get hundreds of billions of    
   years if you count seconds since 1970.   
       
   1600 is a leap year, like 2000 and 2400. Maybe it has something to do    
   with that.   
       
   > Otherwise, timestamps could be set for any date in known history; as   
   > in 4004 BC, which by some counts includes Day One.   
       
   The PHP I use has a strange "hole", where you can't set (with mktime) a    
   year in the range of 0-100*. IIRC earlier years can be set, but it's one    
   off (it thinks there is a year 0). 4004 BC** would be specified as -4003.   
       
   * - I think this is a "convenience" that made sense with a 32-bit time_t    
   where it adds 2000 to 0-79 and 1900 to 80-100, both 0 and 100 become 2000.   
       
   ** - I try to use CE / BCE instead of AD / BC. The numbers are the same,    
   and it avoids a particular assumption.   
       
   [snip]   
       
   --    
   Mark Lloyd   
   http://notstupid.us/   
       
   "In our sad condition, our only consolation is the expectancy of another   
   life. Here below all is incomprehensible." [Martin Luther, Table Talk]   
      
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