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1985 Usenet About Y2k

Anonymouse Cow writes "Here's a trip down memory lane (for some of you "oldsters"). Google's newsgroups has the first usenet mention of the Y2K bug... in 1985! Quote: "I have a friend that raised an interesting question that I immediately tried to prove wrong. He is a programmer and has this notion that when we reach the year 2000, computers will not accept the new date." Check out the replies!"

23 of 401 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory Simpsons Reference by Raul654 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lisa: Well, look at the wonders of the computer age now.
    Homer: Wonders, Lisa, or blunders?
    Lisa: I think that was implied by what I said.
    Homer: Implied, Lisa, or implode?

    --


    To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
    --E.C. Stanton
  2. sooo by grazzy · · Score: 1, Funny

    Experienced bankingprogrammer in Cobol looking for a new job. //D Gary Grady

  3. Oh, the memories... by delta407 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Remember, right after January 1? The world didn't explode (it didn't even implode!), so a handful of people in the media started saying the whole thing was a hoax to drive cash into the technology sector.

    They have the nerve to say that even thoigh I have a fax machine that says it's 8/2/19102.

  4. Re:not Y2K but.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    am i the only one who wasted my 31st Dec 1999 hanging around a nearby ATM, just in case ?

  5. Hmmm. The conflicted mind by aengblom · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know whether to to gaze into the beauty of the formated and edited messages or make prank calls to the phone numbers listed beneath them.

    Ahh the conflicted mind ;-)

    --


    So close and yet so far from the world's perfect ID number
    1. Re:Hmmm. The conflicted mind by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 5, Funny

      Those phone numbers are 17 years old. You could prank them if you want, but a white pages would be just as good.

      Them: Hello?
      You: Someone who worked in that office in 1985 posted to usenet about the Y2K bug!
      Them: So?
      You: Ummmm...Is your refrigerator running?
      Them: *click*

      -B

  6. Old news! by DaphunK · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah. I think we've heard this one before...

    --
    Step 1. Write code. Step 2. ??? Step 3. Profit!
  7. fools by natefaerber · · Score: 3, Funny

    How naive. Little did they know that this would lead to total global chaos...Coke machines killing kids, toasters strangling people, and people using rusty bicycles as currency. You know...dogs and cats living together...the destruction of civilization as we know it.

    Oh wait, that didn't happen...I gotta go find that money I buried.

    --
    -- My HARDWARE, My CHOICE.
  8. Re:ahh the thoughts by throbbingbrain.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    I kept looking for the "Reply" button so I could tell them how it turned out.

    I guess it wouldn't work in that direction, though.

  9. Re:not Y2K but.... by larry+bagina · · Score: 2, Funny
    am i the only one who wasted my 31st Dec 1999 hanging around a nearby ATM, just in case ?

    I did too, but it wasn't a waste. I robbed all the suckers that were withdrawing all their money!!

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  10. This is Usenet?!? by Skyshadow · · Score: 5, Funny
    This is supposed to be Usenet?

    But where is all the off-topic spam? Where are the trolls? Where is the porn? The flamers?

    This is clearly some sort of clever mock-up of Usenet and not the real thing. Frankly, given the omissions I've stated above, it's not even a very well-done imitation; I'm shocked the /. boys would be fooled by it.

    --
    Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
  11. Re:reading old usenet posts by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Funny
    And the coolest thing is the lack of flames.

    Shut the fuck up, asshole. If I wanted your opinion, I'd give it to you. Now you either fuck off, or I'm gonna smack you.

    cum-bubble!

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  12. ahh 1985 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    Reading those messages just goes to further prove on of the infallible laws of humanity: the quality of spelling is inversely proportional to the availability of spell-checkers. Eh, Rob?

    Seriously, just LOOK at those posts. Proper grammar, proper punctuation. Hell, one guy even INDENTED the first line of a paragraph! Have you ever SEEN such madness?

  13. Ah the good old days. by Malcontent · · Score: 4, Funny

    When the internet was populated by geeks only (and smart ones at that).

    Looking back at it maybe we should have killed it while it was young.

    --

    War is necrophilia.

  14. Re:reading old usenet posts by GregGardner · · Score: 5, Funny

    And not a single link to goatse.cx or unrelated posts about the wonders of (the 4 year old at that time) Natalie Portman. Amazing.

  15. I know... by telstar · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm betting Junis makes the cut. That thing always makes me laugh.

  16. Re:ahh the thoughts by RetroGeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    I kept looking for the "Reply" button so I could tell them how it turned out.

    I guess it wouldn't work in that direction, though.


    Of course not. Their news reader app cannot handle the four digit year....

    --

    - - - - - - - - - - -
    I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
  17. Check out this post about Slashdot in 1985 by mr_don't · · Score: 2, Funny

    Slashdot: Are you planning to read Slashdot on August 17th 2002?

    Users: Probably not - it's a Saturday.

    Slashdot: Well if you do, whatever you do, don't read Slashdot on August 17th! The internal coding of "August 17th 2002" triggers a perl script that sends Cowboy Neal's entire Boy Band mp3 library to your e-mail account...

  18. Yet another Obligatory Simpsons Reference by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny
  19. Re:POSIX xtime to the rescue!!!! by ford42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, but that just pushes the problem off, doesn't it? Instead of worrying about 2038, we would then have to worry about 584554531360! What are we going to do 584 billion years from now when 64-bit time runs out?

    Instead of following hare-brained schemes like this, I think we should look seriously at implementing RFC 2550.

  20. Re:ahh the thoughts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd lend you my flux capacitor, but it's shot. I just ordered a new one - they said that it will be delivered yesterday.

  21. Signal to Noise by medcalf · · Score: 4, Funny

    That is the highest signal to noise ratio I've ever seen on USENET - and it was crossposted to net.flame!

    --
    -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
  22. Re:POSIX xtime to the rescue!!!! by tunah · · Score: 3, Funny
    Oh great, and what about the year 292279027178 problem?

    Short sighted idiots...

    --
    Free Java games for your phone: Tontie, Sokoban