Google's Cache Date

[Viflux]

Anyone know why Google's Cached version of one of my site's would have a retrieval date of December 31, 1969 at 11:59:59PM?

I realize the significance of that date, in computer terms, but am wondering why Google would have that listed? Anyone seen that before?

[racerman28]

Viflux,

That's strange...I have not seen that before.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is significant about that date?

[Dan Grossman]

The start time of timestamps on most systems, specifically Unix/Linux, is January 1, 1970 (called the Unix Epoch). This is "time 0" so to say, and 1 second before that probably means some type of overflow or null value in the date field stored for that cache.

Trying to store a date whose value is greater than the number of bytes you allocated for storing the date would result in an overflow, and that would give you a -1 when you save that date. 1 second before the epoch is the date above.

[stymiee]

So basically Google is having technical difficulties. Please stand by.

[lo0ol]

It's the Y2K bug. Better start stockpiling food and whatnot.