Blogtrek

Date Confusion

This is the Age of Confusion. Even though 2000 January 1 has come and gone, and Y2K is no longer an issue, people continue to use two-digit years. Use of two-digit years nearly caused catastrophe last decade. It was only through the tedious and long hours spent by some people correcting reams of two-digit years in code that we averted calamity on that date. The need for four-digit years has not decreased. In fact, it has increased: we are in the age of confusion. As an example, take this sticker , which I got from a recent magazine:

#BXNFPTY *************CR LOT 0152A**R-015
(some bar code)
#0006985895004# ASY EXP 03/04 AT07-A

This was followed by my name and address. First of all, this does not identify the magazine that was sent to me. But more than that, look at the date: 03/04. Should I be concerned? It looks like the subscription has expired - in 2003 April. Or is it 2004 March? There is no way of telling. The month and the year look so much alike that you can't tell them apart. One of the dates says my subscription has expired. The other says it hasn't. I am guessing that it is 2004 March, but I can't be sure. It may even be March 4 or April 3, presumably of the current year. That would say the subscription has expired. One can say that one does not express days in 0 notation; i.e., March 4 would be March 4, not March 04. But some people have said March 04. That can't be done in 2010 and after. March 10 is the tenth of March; use it to mean March 2010 and you set yourself up for a major misunderstanding.

The moral of all this is: continue to use four-digit years. It will solve a lot of problems.