talkmagic.co.uk

HenryHoudini wrote:Woah.. So are we all gonna die then?

Maybe the universe will tip over if it's all on one side!

Happy new year everyone!

So drunk. Me sleep long time now...

DominicRougier wrote:2008 has one more second... that's the only difference that makes sense to me, but then I haven't ever written professional code, so what do I know?

It is an interesting hypothesis, but there are at least one factor that may indicate another cause.

Leap Seconds are at 23:59:60 UTC and delay the next day by 1 second. The Zune issue occurred at 00:00:00 PST (UTC - .

But, as a former software engineer (almost 20 years before moving to security) it is a very interesting hypothesis and certainly worth exploring further.

Here's Microsoft's official advice for anyone affected:

1) Disconnect your Zune from USB and AC power sources.

2) Because the player is frozen, its battery will drain—this is good. Wait until the battery is empty and the screen goes black. If the battery was fully charged, this might take a couple of hours.

3) Wait until after noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (that's 7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).

4) Connect your Zune to either a USB port on the back or your computer or to AC power using the Zune AC Adapter and let it charge.

From this we can deduce that either the device has a 2-hour battery life, which is a major failure of design if true, or knows when it is frozen to be able to safely discharge the battery and force a cold reboot when the power is re-applied (in which case, why doesn't it include functionality to reboot immediately when it detects a freeze?). The latter possibility also raises the glum but inevitable question of why that functionality is required in the first place.

If this is true, I'm speechless...

Code: Select all

year = ORIGINYEAR; /* = 1980 */

while (days > 365)
{
    if (IsLeapYear(year))
    {
        if (days > 366)
        {
            days -= 366;
            year += 1;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        days -= 365;
        year += 1;
    }
}

Apparently, the above is the "leap year" checking code for the 30GB Zune...

wtf??

(It works for 365, it works for 367, but it'll be an infinite loop if the year has 366 days)

What kind of idiot wrote that??? More importantly, what kind of idiot let it pass code review?

Do we know for certain that's Zune code?

kolm wrote:Do we know for certain that's Zune code?

Absolutely not, but Zunes locking up is very funny.

This is an ideal time for me to ask - does anyone know of any recommended hard drive MP3 players...?!

No, I don't have Zune that's just stopped working, I have an iPod that's been dying for about a year and has finally given up the ghost. I've banged it, prised it apart etc. so many times now it wouldn't even do for scrap.

I'm looking for something 30gb upward that is cheap and cheerful, and will last me until September 2009 when I get my first paycheck and can go out and buy whatever the latest expensive gizmo is that takes my fancy

Suggestions? (Note: I'm on a serious budget!)

Farlsborough wrote:This is an ideal time for me to ask - does anyone know of any recommended hard drive MP3 players...?! ...I'm looking for something 30gb upward that is cheap and cheerful, and will last me until September 2009.

If you don't want to risk eBay, my best suggestion is to check Cash Converters and similar places. Especially now, just after Christmas, they should be getting loads of new stock.

If you don't have a local Cash Converters, they also have a website:
http://www.cashconverters.co.uk/
It's officially an auction site, but a high proportion of the stuff is instant-buy.

If you insist on 30gb minimum you'll be limited, though. I see a Philips 20gb for £70 (plus £5 postage). They have a 160gb iPod, but that's £160, which is well past anything I'd call "cheap and cheerful".

OK, we'll call the minimum 20gb+. I really meant not 1gb, 2gb etc.

What I'd really like is an ATMT Storm 180. It's a 20gb player that seems to have sold at various places for about £45, but everywhere's out of stock

ive got a 20GB sony network walkman and have had no probs for the last 3-4 yrs that ive had it.

mine doesnt play mp3's but a different file format (Sony showing their muscle again!) but i think the new versions play both.

Hmm, usually steer clear of Sony as they almost always insist you use their (rubbish) software, but I'll have a look nonetheless.

If I can get a 20gb player for around the £50 I'll be happy - there are non-iPod alternatives out there but I don't want a whole host of mod cons and if I'm going to spend upwards of £100 I might as well get a 120gb iPod classic

A refurbished Creative Zen touch would do me nicely...


Edit: Well, I've splashed out on a 2nd hand 30gb Creative vision M from the eBay glut that I can only assume is the result of all those spoilt kids getting iPod Touches for Christmas. Cue the techies - "oh, you shouldn't have got one of those..."

kolm wrote:Do we know for certain that's Zune code?

The actual code's up on the web now (via Slashdot). http://pastie.org/349916