July 24, 1997. Copyright, 1997, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Will cash dispensers stop working, bank accounts disappear, power supplies shut down and your telephone go silent?

RACE TO BEAT THE MILLENNIUM BUG

It is a near certainty that a memory saving shortcut used by computer programmers some 30 years ago will create havoc in our personal and business lives when the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 1999 

BY DANNY SULLIVAN


NEW YEARÕS DAY 2000 should be a day of celebration well beyond the usual festivities. It marks the start of a new millennium. And thanks to modern technology, the entire world can share the dawn of a new era as it breaks across the globe.

Instead, it may turn out to be the day when everything in the modern world grinds to a halt. It may be remembered as the anniversary that caused planes to be delayed, elevators to stop, credit cards to become useless, and businesses to fail.

The party-pooper is the Millennium Bug, or the Year 2000 problem, or, to the anoraks amongst us, Y2K. ItÕs simple to explain. Many computers use only two digits to measure years. 
So for them, when the new year comes, the date will change from 31/1/99 to 01/01/00. 

As distinct from humans, theyÕll read 00 to mean 1900. These computers will think they are celebrating New YearÕs Day 1900.
The implications are widespread. Banks, power stations, manufacturing plants, supermarkets, pension payments Ð even home personal computers Ð will all be affected. The problem needs to be addressed soon, as time is running out.

ÔWe have a hell of a long way to go,Õ said Robin Guenier, Executive Director of Taskforce 2000, a UK-based organisation chartered to raise awareness of the Millennium Bug. ÔIÕm told by many that the UK is leading the pack, and if we are, itÕs not a pack I want to be in.Õ
The most recent survey Guenier has seen suggested that only 10 percent of British businesses had begun to identify which of their systems might be affected, much less begun to solve the problem. 

There is widespread apathy or lack of understanding of the problem, which has an estimated U.S.$300-600 million dollar price tag, according to one study by the Gartner Group, a U.S. research firm.
The cost of solving the problem may make some companies wince, but those who have begun grappling with it are realising that fixing it is not optional. ItÕs a necessity.

ÔAnyone who has put a budget together will tell you, reluctantly, ÒIf we donÕt do this, weÕre out of businessÓ,Õ said Peter de Jager, an expert on the Year 2000 problem. 
The troubles predicted donÕt have to occur, de Jager stresses, as long as companies take immediate action. But time is running out, and the deadline is a year sooner than many people think. ThatÕs because in 1999, many companies will begin dealing Year 2000 dates as part of routine scheduling.

ÔThe reality is that the problem starts in 1999, and it starts in 1999 in a big way,Õ de Jager said. ÔBusinesses have to be ready by the end of 1998. They have to be finished, no ifs, ands, or buts.Õ

/ENDS

Sources: Year 2000 Information Center, Taskforce 2000, CCTA, Calafia Consulting