RE: [PATCH] Port to 32-bit long + 64-bit time_t

[rsbecker]

On October 3, 2022 3:56 PM, Paul Eggert wrote:
>On 10/3/22 09:12, rsbecker@nexbridge.com wrote:
>> This happens in AR and TAR also, which appear to be limited to 32-bit time_t 
>> on
>some platforms. It's a struggle but we have some time to deal with it.
>
>Yes, I've been part of an ongoing effort to make GNU apps Y2038-safe, even on
>32-bit platforms. This is why I've been submitting patches to GNU Make. Many
>other GNU apps are also affected; core apps are mostly fixed already.
>
>It's not just the year 2038, though that's the most pressing.
>Traditional tar format uses an unsigned 33-bit timestamp and stops working 
>after
>2242-03-16 12:56:31 UTC. ar format uses a 12-digit timestamp and stops working
>after 318857-05-20 17:46:39 UTC. Of course these are far-future problems - 
>except
>that people or programs might use 'touch' to create far-future problems today.
>GNU tar has long had format fixes (gnu and pax formats) for this. GNU ar 
>doesn't
>have a fix but that's less important. Etc.
>
>In looking through old dev histories it appears Paul pushes changes every now 
>and
>then, so I'll wait until he's pushed his next batch of changes, which will 
>presumably
>include some timestamp-related fixes, before looking into this again.

Thanks. I'll be keeping an eye out for those.