32 bit time_t

[Eric S. Raymond]

Hal Murray <hmurray at megapathdsl.net>:
> 
> > The integral part of timespec is time_t which has been 64-bit *even on
> > 32-bit Linuxes* for, what is it, close to 20 years now? 
> 
> Are you sure?
> 
> It's only 32 bits on Raspberry Pi and Fedora i386 and Debian ppc

Well that's weird.  I thought I remembered the Linux kernel devs going
to 64-bit time_t back in the late 90s, well before the 64-bit
transition.

> It's 32 bits on FreeBSD i386 and powerpc
> It's 64 bits on NetBSD i386
> 
> > I am prepared to assume that by 2038 we will be able to put in a config test
> > that barfs on 32-bit time_t without causing a ripple.
> 
> We need to put that test in well before 2038 or somebody will build it a few 
> years before and expect it to work for another dozen years.
> 
> Is there any reason not to put it in now as a warning?

No, in fact I was going to suggest that. 
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