From a mail on Perl 5 Porters:
Attached is the latest 2038 patch from the y2038 branch.
- Configure now probes for the safe range of the system's localtime() and gmtime(). Perl will use the system functions inside their safe range. [Thanks Merijn]
- Perl now ships with its own 64 bit gmtime() and timegm().
- localtime() is made 2038 safe on 32 bit systems using the algorithm described here http://code.google.com/p/y2038/wiki/HowItWorks
- Time::Local can now handle past 2038.
- Time::gmtime tests improved and expanded past 2038 and 1901.
- Time::localtime tests improved and expanded past 2038.
Open issues
- localtime64.h and .c need to be wired into the Makefile. I don't now how to do this.
- The LOCALTIME_EDGECASE_BROKEN special case needs to be reincorporated.
- This has not been tested on a system with an unsigned or floating point time_t.
- The configure probes are probably broken with a floating point time_t.
Other notes
- The clever way Time::Local handles the year (8, 108 and 2008 are all 2008) means there are gaps in what years you can run through timelocal() and timegm().
- Since localtime64.c now has its own timegm() core time modules could make use of it.
I've hit the limit of what I can do alone. I'd like to see this incorporated into the bleadperl trunk so it can get some cross-platform testing.
