# Bug in rails-1.2.3(number.years.ago)

**URL:** <https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346>\
**Category:** rubyonrails-talk\
**Created:** [September 15, 2008, 9:54am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346 "2008-09-15T09:54:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![11175](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/8edcca/32.png) [@11175](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/11175)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:54am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346/1 "2008-09-15T09:54:51Z")

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30.years.ago -\> ok 40.years.ago -\> error is it bug?

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**Author:** ![Frederick\_Cheung](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/rubyonrails/user_avatar/discuss.rubyonrails.org/frederick_cheung/32/3901_2.png) [@Frederick\_Cheung](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Frederick_Cheung)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:55am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346/2 "2008-09-15T09:55:43Z")

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> 30.years.ago -\> ok 40.years.ago -\> error is it bug?

It's because instance of Time on your machine can't represent dates  
before 1970

Fred

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**Author:** ![Russell\_Norris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Russell\_Norris](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Russell_Norris)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 11:44am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346/3 "2008-09-15T11:44:09Z")

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I’m surprised by this. Rails is usually smart enough to convert to DateTime where needed in these ActiveSupport time converting scenarios. From my irb…

sneaky:~ rsl$ irb

> ActiveSupport

# =\> ActiveSupport # Just to point out AS is loaded here

> Time.now.class

# =\> Time

> 10.years.ago.class

# =\> Time

> 100.years.ago.class

# =\> Time

> 1000.years.ago.class

# =\> DateTime

What version Rails are you using?

RSL

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**Author:** ![11175](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/8edcca/32.png) [@11175](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/11175)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/bug-in-rails-1-2-3-number-years-ago/34346/4 "2008-09-16T04:39:30Z")

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RSL \_\_\_ wrote:

> What version Rails are you using?
> 
> On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 5:55 AM, Frederick Cheung \<

my os -windows-xp :: rails version 1.2.3