Get rid of the ROC year numbering system (Facebook campaign)

[jidanni]

民國改公元紀元 is a Facebook Page one can join to support getting rid of the ROC Year (99) system, in favor of just using the International (2010) system.

[tommy525]

Think Facebook is going to change this? Change the way the ROC counts its years? Doubt it.

[bismarck]

Think Facebook is going to change this? Change the way the ROC counts its years? Doubt it.

True enough. But they really should scrap it. Or at least, if they keep it, make the international system the standard that gets taught in schools etc. Keep it on coins and anything of cultural significance.

There's nothing more irritating than asking someone something related to dates and they first go through the counting in Taiwanese years, converting to international years, converting from Chinese to English in their heads and then (after an inordinate amount of time) finally giving you the answer. Which is then wrong, or they forgot something and the process starts again.

Or, "When were you born?"
"Um...'73."
"Oh, so you're 37 this year? You look great for 37!"
"Huh? What? Nooooooo!!!!! Um...it's 1985..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Ok. Can I see your ID card?"
"Sure!"
you check the date...do the math...
"Um...you're actually born in 1984..."
"Oh... "

[catfish13]

As long as Japan still uses their figurehead emperors' names to number their years, Taiwan would not change.

In addition, there are tons of retooling costs involved behind what seems to be a simple enough change. Computer systems would have to be changed to accommodate 4-digit fields for years and they would also have to modify existing data to reflect the changes.

[tommy525]

Yes exactly , its stupid and IM sure the ROC got it from the Japanese emporer thing. DUmb and should be changed. We should all be on 2010 but lets get the USA to drop its stupid imperial system and go with metric while we are at it. Even the ENGLISH have dropped the Imperial, but the former colony USA still goes with it.

[jimipresley]

民國改公元紀元 is a Facebook Page one can join to support getting rid of the ROC Year (99) system, in favor of just using the International (2010) system.

Fascinating. I'm going to petition the American government to adopt the metric system (via facebook). I hope this action will facilitate a meaningful change to my otherwise dull life.

[catfish13]

Yes exactly , its stupid and IM sure the ROC got it from the Japanese emporer thing. DUmb and should be changed. We should all be on 2010 but lets get the USA to drop its stupid imperial system and go with metric while we are at it. Even the ENGLISH have dropped the Imperial, but the former colony USA still goes with it.

Cost of converting imperial units to metric far exceeds the potential benefits of it financially at the moment.

For example,
http://www.neowin.net/news/nasa-it-woul ... ments=true

The shuttles that NASA uses to fly to space currently use measurements in the form of pounds and feet as opposed to the more widely adopted meters and newtons. The upcoming shuttle replacement will continue to use the imperial measurement system because it would cost NASA $370 million dollars to convert to the "'International System' of units".

In 2009 a launch to put a shuttle into orbit costs approximately $759 million dollars and to spend half the budget of a launch to convert units of measure can not be justified because it will produce no gain for the agency or the shuttle occupants.

To convert to a new system of measurement is not as easy as it sounds. NASA has formulas crafted in Excel that are thousands of lines long that are able to give measurement and predictions in almost any type of circumstance. Changing such formulas and re-verifying their accuracy is a long timely process that no one at NASA wants to undertake.

NASA's Constellation program will replace the aging shuttle in the next decade but an exact timeframe has not been set as the testing of a new rocket system will take years to perfect in order to give our astronauts the safest possible journey to the heavens above.

So 370 million dollars required to have metric units for ONE project. NASA's FY 2010 budget is 18.7 billion dollars, so one project will cost 2% of its total cost of operation. Let's just assume for a minute that this 2% number is fair and consistent across all industries and all sectors across the board. The US has a GDP of USD$14.4T, or 14,400 billions of dollars. 2% of that is 288 BILLION dollars.

This is when some industries such as medicine, science, engineering and military already have metricated or partially have a system in place. Would you rather spend almost 300 billion dollars with essentially no return to you (initially it's going to only benefit companies and firms that work outside the country, most likely) when there are more pressing issues and items at hand?

[jashsu]

Yes exactly , its stupid and IM sure the ROC got it from the Japanese emporer thing.

The fuck? The Minguo calendar numbers the first year in Gregorian 1912 CE because that is the year of the founding of the Republic of China, not anything related to the Japanese.

[catfish13]

Yes exactly , its stupid and IM sure the ROC got it from the Japanese emporer thing.

The fuck? The Minguo calendar numbers the first year in Gregorian 1912 CE because that is the year of the founding of the Republic of China, not anything related to the Japanese.

Some anti-KMT propagandists would most likely have you believe that "Minguo" really is a celebration of the establishment of KMT and the evildoers in power in disguise :P

Just kidding of course, the reason I brought up Japan was that there are other countries that use nonstandard calendars other than Taiwan and as long as those other countries do not change their systems there will be most likely no incentives for the Taiwanese government to adopt so, after all, "WTFOMGBBQ Japan is such a forward-thinking country and they still use Emperor calendars to number their years therefore we must still be doing right!!!1111"

Well, probably in Chinese rather than English.

[tommy525]

Ya ya we get it already. Its from the founding of the ROC. And the ROC has never been too friendly with the Japanese. Neither the CCP. THe Chinese still pretty much hate the Japanese. And of course in view of all the atrocities committed in China by the Nipponese, its not surprising. The Taiwanese though fared much better under the Nihonjin then the Chinese did so there is no undying hatred in Taiwan for things Japanese. In fact half the population of Taiwan (ie the non late arrival mainlanders) are rather Japanophile in their outlook.

Taiwan is said to be a Chinese version of Japan due to so much Japanese influence.

But of course one wonders where the ROC got the idea to name the year from the year of its foundation. I don't think thats a new idea. Perhaps came from the Chinese emporers of old?

Japanese (and Koreans) have some sort of connection to CHina as well, because they are largely Han people as well. Korea in Korean is Hankuk, which is Han country as i recall.

Course the japanese have some ainu mixed up there and also barbarian blood of the northern tribes , same as Koreans.

Taiwanese are chinese, taiwanese aboriginal mixes along with a dash of westerner here and there.