Why Does Go's `time.Now()` Sometimes Return 2009-11-10 23:00:00 UTC?

Why Does Go time.Now() Return 2009-11-10 23:00:00 0000 UTC?

Running the time.Now() function in Go version 1.3 on Windows 7x64 consistently yields the date and time of 2009-11-10 23:00:00 0000 UTC. While this phenomenon is expected on the Go Playground (due to its fixed time setting), its occurrence on local machines can be puzzling.

The reason behind this unusual behavior is that this specific date and time marks the birthday of the Go language. Go's creators, Rob Pike, Robert Griesemer, and Ken Thompson, published the initial public prototype of Go on November 10, 2009.

This timestamp is used within the Go runtime as a "dummy" value to assist in debugging. If the system time is not set correctly or cannot be determined, the runtime uses this fallback timestamp to ensure that the program can still function.

Upgrading to Go version 1.3 and restarting your computer have been known to resolve this issue for some users. However, it's important to note that if the system time remains unset or inaccurately configured, the time.Now() function may continue to return the "Go birthday" timestamp.

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