Software glitch due to leap year shuts down gas stations across New Zealand
In New Zealand, the networks of self-service gas stations of several fuel companies have stopped working due to a software glitch caused by a leap year, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.
Fuel suppliers Z Energy, Allied Petroleum, and Gull said that their automatic gas stations are disabled, so people can only refuel at points with live personnel since it is possible to make a payment there.
Representatives of the companies noted that, apparently, the error in their systems was caused by the onset of February 29. Organizations are trying to solve the problem together with their technology contractors.
New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to welcome an additional day of the second month, which appears every four years.
Note that the main reason for the appearance of February 29 is
due to the fact that the Earth orbits the Sun in 365.25 days. Thus,
for four annual turns, a full day is accumulated in the calendar,
which is added to February.
The name "leap year" comes from the Latin expression bis sextus,
which means "the second sixth", that is, the second sixth day in
February is the 29th of the month.
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