Computer Jokes

Two Digits for a Date Song

Two Digits for a Date (to the tune of "Gilligan's Island,"
more or less)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale Of the doom that
is our fate. That started when programmers used Two digits
for a date. Two digits for a date.

Main memory was smaller then; Hard disks were smaller, too.
"Four digits are extravagant, So let's get by with two. So
let's get by with two."

"This works through 1999," The programmers did say. "Unless
we rewrite before that It all will go away. It all will go
away."

But Management had not a clue: "It works fine now, you bet!
A rewrite is a straight expense; We won't do it just yet. We
won't do it just yet."

Now when 2000 rolls around It all goes straight to @#%&, For
zero's less than ninety-nine, As anyone can tell. As anyone
can tell.

The mail won't bring your pension check It won't be sent to
you When you're no longer sixty-eight, But minus thirty-two.
But minus thirty-two.

The problems we're about to face Are frightening, for sure.
And reading every line of code's The only certain cure. The
only certain cure.

(key change, big finish)

There's not much time, There's too much code. (And
Cobol-coders, few) When the century is finished with, We may
be finished, too. We may be finished, too.

Eight thousand years from now I hope That things weren't
left too late, And people aren't then lamenting Four digits
for a date. Four digits for a date.