bug#45695: closed (Date does not work for dates before 1970)

[GNU bug Tracking System]

Your message dated Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:59:47 -0700
with message-id <20210112165021159282166@bob.proulx.com>
and subject line Re: bug#45695: Date does not work for dates before 1970
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #45695,
regarding Date does not work for dates before 1970
to be marked as done.

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45695: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=45695
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--- Begin Message --- Subject: Date does not work for dates before 1970 Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2021 17:34:01 +0100

On linux, I can use  date +%s --date "31 Dec 1969"

The result is -90000

A negative number

But when I try it on Windows (using GNUWin32) it gives me an error - "invalid date"

I downloaded date for windows from this link - http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/coreutils.htm

Is there any fix for Windows?  

--- End Message ---

> --- Begin Message ---
>
>
>
> Subject: 
>
> Re: bug#45695: Date does not work for dates before 1970
>
>
>
>
> Date: 
>
> Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:59:47 -0700
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>
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>
> zed991 wrote:
> > On linux, I can use  date +%s --date "31 Dec 1969"
> > The result is -90000
> > A negative number
>
> Which is correct for dates before the 0 time:
>
>     Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000
>
>     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_time
>
> > But when I try it on Windows (using GNUWin32) it gives me an error -
> > "invalid date"
> > 
> > I downloaded date for windows from this link -
> > http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/coreutils.htm
> > 
> > Is there any fix for Windows?
>
> According to that page the last update of the GnuWin project was
> 2015-05-20 therefore one might think that project is no longer
> updating now more than five years later.
>
> Perhaps it would be good to look for a different MS-Windows port of
> the software?  The usual recommendation is to install Cygwin which
> generally is a more reliable port of the software.  Although I
> understand that it might be a little heavy for many users.  But
> whichever port to Microsoft you find look to see that it has been
> updated in the last few years.
>
> Generally the GNU Project is all about the source and use on Free(dom)
> Software systems.  Generally most of us are not using Microsoft and
> therefore it makes it hard for us to help.  It really needs a
> Microsoft person to champion the cause and to keep that system updated.
>
> Since this is not a bug in the GNU Coreutils software itself but in
> the windows port of it I am going to go ahead and close the ticket
> with this message.  But if you have updates about this please send an
> update to the bug ticket as it would help us know what to say in the
> future to other Microsoft users.  And other people searching the
> archive will benefit from your experience with it.
>
> Bob
>
>
> --- End Message ---