[NTLUG:Discuss] Linux Counter?

[Steve Baker]

Lance Simmons wrote:
> * terry <kj5zr at yahoo.com> [040226 00:11]:
> 
>>(I'm Registered Linux User 188099)
> 
> 
> I'm 122802.  I signed up in '99, so it doesn't seem like the number has
> grown all that much in the past 5 years.
> 

That's weird.  I'm 148698 - and I signed up in June 1994.  How come I'm
20,000 numbers later than you but signed up 5 years earlier???

Evidently the numbers aren't allocated consecutively.

My number clearly doesn't reflect the number of people who were
subscribed at the time because in June 1994, there were less than 10,000
people counted at the site.

The deal is that my first four COMPUTER numbers are in the 64,000 range
(very likely numbers for 1994).   I think that back then, there weren't
any "people numbers" - only "machine numbers".  Hence, people who signed
up very early on would have been issued numbers that were freed up when
they dropped out 80,000 'inactive users' in November 2001.  At that time,
there were around 130,000 active users - so someone who signed on in '99
would have had a number around there (which explains Lance's 122,000 number).

If they then re-issued the free'd up numbers to people who'd signed up
early on before there were people-numbers - then that would explain how
I wound up with a number in the 140,000 range.

Well - whatever it is, it's dangerous to assume that a high 'counter'
number implies someone who only signed up recently.

---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
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