Discussion What will happen to Unity in 2038?

If you're not aware of what's coming ahead, here's a good start off: Year 2038 Problem (Wikipedia)​

From Wikipedia:

This raises lots of concerning questions:

• How will the core of Unity be affected?
• What about functions, like: Delta Time, float32, integer32, etc?
• What about a HUGE (1Million+) Library of all the games & applications written pre-2038 using Unity or other engines, that are no longer maintained or updated?
• What about Game Emulators, and Legacy hardwares that were mass-produced pre-2038 that have a 'Timer' built-in inside of them? Playstaion, Xbox, Nintendo, and all of the sort. Will they become obsolete and never function again?

In Y2K, lots of businesses faced problems, and it's happening again ..


Questions: Will Unity Technologies re-write the whole engine from scratch to address the issue? Or is it a much simpler 'challenge' than it might seems? Please feel free to discuss below.

Spoiler: Here's a Great 2038 video

 

2038 is literally 15 years away. There's a very real possibility Unity won't even be around anymore.

 

I remember Y2K being a bit of a non-event. Highly likely this will be the same.

Not to mention there's more pressing existential threats than a silly little computer bug.

 

Y2K was a non event because loads of people basically crunched for a year to ensure it wouldn't be.

 

Wouldn't want to be the tech guys 14 years from now then.

 

Unity will not exist by then.

 

Is this an elaborate troll post?

 

Nope. This is a serious & direct post. Being a developer, how will I see myself using Unity for the foreseeable future? Is this a sustainable choice? 'How is Unity going to address this issue' is the topic of this thread. You're welcome.

 

If you want a "sustainable choice" then you wouldn't be using Unity that long anyway. You wouldn't want to bank on a third party tool unless it had a history of long-term support that Unity simply lacks.

 

This problem, if it's a problem at all, also will be present in all current and future game engines and software in general. If Unity can't solve it, then no one can... I assume it's a non-issue just like Y2K was. We even had Y2K22 last year. The world didn't end. Unity is still around.

 

But what about functions like "Delta Time"? Is 'Time' here signed with 32-bit? It's concerning because Unity will have to re-write the core and sign it with 64-bit before the deadline that is 2038.

 

I'm sure even with Unity's glacial development timelines, they can address the issue in 15 years time. A multibillion corporation won't just suddenly die due to a programming problem. And which engine, if not Unity is better positioned to address this? Delta time is present in all engines.

Better decide how you'll spend your last day on the planet when a giant ass meteorite will destroy it in 10 years.

 

It's the time between the current frame and the last frame. I don't think it's even affected by this issue at all.

And again, it's 15 years away. Why are you so concerned with something so far away?

This has to be a troll post.

 

Account registered yesterday, a chuckle worthy poem in his profile image. 100% a troll post.

 

Please be civil and don't accuse others of being a "troll" just because you don't like the post. If you don't like it, you don't have to engage. Thank you.

It concerns me because of Unity's history taking a very long time to develop new technologies, like DOTS (2016-2023) from experimental to production-ready. I can't imagine the length of time they will take to re-write everything from scratch and sign it with 64-bit, hence this thread.

Again, please be civil and continue discussion with respect to your fellow developers.

 

Man you don't even understand what the bug actually implicates. It only effects how time is stored, which generally happens at a level lower than what Unity operates at. The solution isn't "write and sign everything in 64 bit".

Most likely all Unity needs to do is modify any of Unity's time-sensitive internals to be compliant with Y2038, probably updating whatever system-level API's they use.

 

If that's the case, then it's relieving

I myself hope that this will not be much of a 'challenge' and everything goes smoothly.

 

Finally some serious discussion about pressing issues.

What I've done is installed an ejection seat underneath my workstation that I scrounged from an f-16 junkyard. This way if the computer does anything suspicious I just hammerfist the red button and it goes flying to mars. problem solved.

 

I wished this thread could've been useful and discussing the functions of what will and what will not be affected and having a good conversation together, but it seems this thread drifted away and turned into personal attacks and mockery. It definitely was a mistake posting here.

 

Sorry, but you're not a fellow developer. The statement that you made about "Delta Time" proves that you don't even know the basics of Unity (or game development in general). You didn't even have an account until today. I don't think you're a troll, but I think you bought into an idea that only sounds scary if you don't know any better.

Y2K was a nothing burger (to use a phase from one of my favorite small hardware YouTubers uses). Y2K may have seemed scary when it was first being discussed but it wasn't even remotely a problem when the clock finally hit it and Y2K38 will be the exact same situation.

 

Going to close because as everyone has pointed out, it is pretty much nonsense. Posted by someone is known for posting nonsense, and having a very poor understanding of technology or logic for that matter.

No, just a sad person with too much free time.