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Computing History & Legendary BugsSoftware History

Gangnam Style Broke YouTube's Counter

A video got more views than the counter could count

Counting views is just adding one. So how did a single music video in 2014 nearly run YouTube's counter out of numbers?

You'll find out

  • The number a counter can't go past
  • What happens with one view too many
  • Which clock hits its ceiling next

Why it matters

Every app keeps numbers in boxes of a fixed size. Pick one too small, and counters and clocks quietly go haywire.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 18 · Zone 2

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