> Are you trying to say that "64-bit computers" don't have any support for 32 bit integers?
The issue is if time_t is a 32-bit int or a 64-bit int. Not if a bit-64 CPU supports 32-bit integers.
time_t is generally defined as a long across OS implementations.
In the 32-bit ABI (Application Binary Interface) for most (all?) OSes, a long is a 32-bit value.
In the 64-bit ABI, a long is 64-bits, so the 2038 time issue does not exist for 64-bit apps.
So if you are running a 64-bit app, you don't have a problem in that app. One solution is to
not support 32-bit apps anymore. i.e. you don't support the 32-bit ABI in your 64-bit kernel.
You can do this easily in linux today (e.g. gentoo, 64-bit only support).
Another solution is to break 32-bit compatibility (or to define a new 32-bit "ABI") which
changes the definition of time_t (and some other system types) to be a [u]int64 instead
of a long.
So, *if* the parent was suggesting don't support 32-bit apps, then they were right ;-)