Y2K AND THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVER
Y2K and the Christian Believer
David Cawston
Introduction:
Call it what you will: a bug, a quirk, a challenge or a crisis. But don't call it trivial. The Year 2000 computer problem is now one of the most important issues facing businesses, governments and other institutions worldwide.
When the millennium arrives, many computer systems and global networks will fail because of an inability to properly interpret dates beyond 1999. Although the problem might sound insignificant, its implications are extremely serious and widespread. Leading experts estimate that averting a "Millennium shutdown" could cost up to $600 billion worldwide -- earning the so-called Millennium Bug a position among history's most expensive "disasters."
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THE YEAR 2000 COMPUTER PROBLEM IN PERSPECTIVEEVENTESTIMATED COST
Millennium Challenge$600b
Vietnam Conflict$500b
World War II$4200b
Kobe Earthquake$100b
Los Angeles Earthquake$60b
(Sources: Gartner Group and Congressional Research Service)
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I. The Problem
A. The Cause
In the beginning early computers used only two digits for years -- "66" "67" "68" etc. This was done to save money. In the early days, computer memory was very expensive. Deleting the two digits "19" in front of "67" could save an organization literally millions of dollars across a wide stream of computers. This simple practice is the root of all Y2K evil.
This little two-digit date problem makes it impossible for the computers using it to recognize or understand the year 2000. All they will see is "00." Many of them will interpret that as 1900, and compute that a 104-year-old person is actually 4, and needs to be sent a notice to come to kindergarten. In other cases, it may mean canceled government benefit checks (the computer may decide that someone who is 65 is now -35 years old, because the person was bor ...
David Cawston
Introduction:
Call it what you will: a bug, a quirk, a challenge or a crisis. But don't call it trivial. The Year 2000 computer problem is now one of the most important issues facing businesses, governments and other institutions worldwide.
When the millennium arrives, many computer systems and global networks will fail because of an inability to properly interpret dates beyond 1999. Although the problem might sound insignificant, its implications are extremely serious and widespread. Leading experts estimate that averting a "Millennium shutdown" could cost up to $600 billion worldwide -- earning the so-called Millennium Bug a position among history's most expensive "disasters."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE YEAR 2000 COMPUTER PROBLEM IN PERSPECTIVEEVENTESTIMATED COST
Millennium Challenge$600b
Vietnam Conflict$500b
World War II$4200b
Kobe Earthquake$100b
Los Angeles Earthquake$60b
(Sources: Gartner Group and Congressional Research Service)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. The Problem
A. The Cause
In the beginning early computers used only two digits for years -- "66" "67" "68" etc. This was done to save money. In the early days, computer memory was very expensive. Deleting the two digits "19" in front of "67" could save an organization literally millions of dollars across a wide stream of computers. This simple practice is the root of all Y2K evil.
This little two-digit date problem makes it impossible for the computers using it to recognize or understand the year 2000. All they will see is "00." Many of them will interpret that as 1900, and compute that a 104-year-old person is actually 4, and needs to be sent a notice to come to kindergarten. In other cases, it may mean canceled government benefit checks (the computer may decide that someone who is 65 is now -35 years old, because the person was bor ...
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