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  From: Alex Garner <alex@netcraft.com.au>
  To  : David Drury <idavid@smug.adelaide.edu.au>
  Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1999 11:40:57 +1030 (CST)

Re: Daylight Savings Time

> Basically tho, I agree with the sentiment here, if it weren't for
> some (potential) computer glitches, 2000 will just be another year
> for me. Now if I wanted to I could open the argument about 2000 vs
> 2001 being the start of the new millenium :P

I have a convenient method to justify the consuption of great
quantities of alcohol at the 31st of December this year that linux
enthusiasts (and engineers) might appreciate.

The decision about how much to drink is usually related to the
significance of the event. Whether you opt for 2000 or 2001 depends
on whether you start counting at the year '0' or the year '1'. (Both
these years are fairly arbitrary, because the calender was devised after
the event.) Purists would argue that the first year is defined as '1',
but engineers may argue that the first year should be '0'.

Basically if you refer to the first PC serial device as 'com1' then
you get drunk on 2001, if you refer to it as 'ttyS0' then you get
drunk on 2000.

This is also a cool way to alienate windows users.

It's so much more logical to start at '0', especailly if at the year
was decided on after the event. This means there would have been none
of the problems associated with living in a year you can't divide
anything by, since no-one actually knew at the time that it _was_ the
year '0' (or '1'). (I'm not sure why you'd want to do that, or even
why I mentioned it.) 

So if you get drawn into an argument about why you're celebrating "the
new milennium", then just point and laugh and say "windows user", and
get back to your coopers premium.

Oh yeah, 2000 is a much more interesting looking number too!

Cheers

Alex!

P.S. it goes without saying that this e-mail contains little accuracy
and much arm-waving and bending-of-fact, but that's what's going to
count in an argument at 10:00+ on the 31st.

*hic*

-- 

Alex Garner <alex@netcraft.com.au>

NetCraft Australia
Phone (08) 8370 3650
http://www.netcraft.com.au

...I should have taken the blue pill.

-- 
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