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Twitter "Twitpocalypse" Snags Mac, iPhone Apps

Posted by kdawson on from the y2k-all-over-again dept.

awarrenfells notes coverage in Macworld of what is being called "the Twitpocalypse" — Twitter applications breaking as the number of tweets exceeds 32 bits. "The first apparent victim of the Twitpocalypse was The Iconfactory's Twitterrific for iPhone, which stopped working immediately following the event. ... Atebits Software's Tweetie has also been affected by the Twitpocalypse. The program continues to function for browsing and posting tweets, but searches no longer work in the Mac version and results appear one at a time in the iPhone version."

8 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Overflowing 32 bits by AuMatar · · Score: 5, Funny

    So that means there are 2-4 billion messages (depending on if they meant signed or unsigned)? There goes the last of my faith in humanity.

    --
    I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
  2. And... by dangitman · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... nothing of value was lost.

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
    1. Re:And... by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ... nothing of value was lost.

      Actually what was lost was any hope left I had for humanity. More than 2,147,483,647 'tweets' have been 'tweeted.' God, I feel stupid just saying that. But what is that? Like half the population of earth?! And then they go so far as to call lack of mobile Twitter applications apocalyptic? Humanity has officially jumped the shark, people. Some other animal should have been given a shot at ruining the world.

      I mean at least I can derive cheap entertainment from cell phone texts but Twitter transcripts have little to no value in my eyes. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the backyard building a rocket ship to seek out another planet free of Twitter. Hopefully it'll just have more minor problems like being covered in methane or a flesh eating silicon based virus ...

      --
      My work here is dung.
  3. Let's see by tqft · · Score: 5, Informative

    2^32 * 140 char is approx 2^40 = 280Gb so all the actual tweets would fit one smallish (new) hard drive

    Amount of time used - a lot

    Benefit? Unknown.

    What do people get out of it? I thought about it and don't see the point unless I am desperate for continual updates about everything. I just took a week off from my regular news sources (website - bloomberg and newspaper types), because I am not having a holiday this year and needed a break. There a few hundred unread rss messages waiting for me (/., groklaw and so on).

    Educate me.

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
  4. Twitter uses 64bits, 3rd party apps do not by ZyBex · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm kind of tired with reading that this is Twitter's fault. Twitter actually uses 64 bits ID internally. The "problem" is with 3rd party apps that interface with Twitter's API and expect to receive only a signed 32 bit integer.

    http://twitter.com/twitterapi/status/2048659057

    Disclaimer: I've never used twitter.

  5. "Twitter itself was unaffected" by John+Hasler · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes. When I first saw mention of this I got my hopes up but they were soon dashed.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  6. Why is twitter hate so cool around /. by loteck · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You guys have been calling twitter a fad for at least two years, meanwhile families, businesses, celebrities and politicians have been flocking to it in droves and using it extremely successfully. For example, Dell.

    Also, I see a lot of "what does Twitter really do??" posts. Either these posters are simply being obtuse or /. IQ's have plummeted recently.

  7. Re:I must be getting old... by Snarf+You · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just wait until 64 bits becomes too small... yes, I am referring to Twittageddon.