Y2K: Your Computer and What You Need to Know by Michael Okwukogu Orji, Sr.
Special to USAfrica The Newspaper and
USAfricaonline.com
If you’ve been following the news lately, especially the technological aspect, you might have heard the questions about the millennium bug. The bug is defined as a foreseeable computer glitch that would disable the functionality of the nation’s computer system. Some people think it’s a joke while many are so worried they are moving out of urban areas and digging up foxholes as an escape from the impending doom. Whatever is your taking’ or as we found a widespread lack of concern or knowledge of Y2K’s practical impact, it’s the buzzword of this year till we “survive” the year 2000.
Over a decade ago, the musician formerly known as Prince released a song in 1985 titled “Party like it’s 1999.” The party seem short lived or tempered by a fuss about year 2000. Now that it’s 1999, a looming problem of computer bug or a fear about the unknown effect of the millennium is causing worldwide uproar. The potential problem of the year 2000 popularly known as Y2K is almost here with us. Is it real or prediction of doomsday based on unfounded fear? Fear of technological loophole that may not affect millions of computer users is quickly ending the 1999 party.
The fact: On January 1, 2000 at 12 midnight most of the world’s mainframe computers (except Apple Macintosh systems which were built and automated with dates way beyond the 2000) may face unpredictable failures of not synchronizing with time coded software necessary for uninterrupted business operations and services. This failure may affect many worldly services like the safe navigational operations of air planes, accidental deployment of nuclear weapon, false enemy nuclear attack, inability of one to access their financial accounts in the bank, safe ride in elevators, usage of your cellular phone in emergency, or even driving your car if it’s monitored through global position service (GPS). The list is indeed endless and may contain many life critical and support services that the fear is being taken seriously in many circles where its failure would be catastrophic.
The fear is real in certain areas of computer usage and dependence. Y2K problem is real in time critical service (TCS). These are time critical applications that require real time stamp factor with correlation to change and result. For example, when you buy stock on the stock exchange the prevailing rate should be entered immediately within the nanoseconds of concluding transaction. The same scenario would apply when a pilot is given clearance to land on a runway, miscalculation by computer and allowing another airplane to use same runway could result in a mishap.
Time critical demands that every second be calculated with room for error.
Let’s provide some history. International Business Machine (IBM) first developed personal computers. When personal computers (PC) were designed and developed the forecast for their use was not optimistic hence the loophole was engineered in as flaws. As the PC/DOS/Windows-based computers were programmed the fields representing the year were limited to the last two digits. Example of two digits “98” instead of 1998. This digit limit would mean that on January 1, 2000, many non- Y2K compliance computers will interpret the two digit “00” date to mean literally January 1, 1900. The historical flaw has been swept under the revolutionary PC emergence carpet, that few years ago no serious thinking person including the Pentagon would address this engineering oversight.
The solution to this initial programming short sight is what Y2K compliance is all about. There is now a race against time by many Management Information Service (MIS) personnel to bring every commercial mainframe, PC servers, and PC’s certified as compliant to the year 2000.
It’s a daunting task, which recently the U.S President Bill Clinton announced that the US government would meet.
The fuss of compliance is simply for time critical services. Other less time restrictive services cannot be hampered by this shortcoming.
For home users who use their PC for personal computing, games and other non-financial applications, Y2K seems, to me, not to be a serious matter. If you’re using a an IMac or any other Apple Macintosh computer you have noting to worry about. Do not bother yourself with Y2K. If your computer was manufactured since 1995, chances are that it will comply. You can check your system with free shareware year 2000 compliance and fix utility software.
I am optimistic about the 2000 and beyond. Do not be bothered by fear mongers on false unrealistic prediction of a doomsday theory, forecasting a millennium madness, mayhem and perhaps, end of the world. Don’t worry, party like it’s 2005. For me I’ll spend all my available credit on my credit card, withdraw all my savings and take a safari trip to a remote African village.
Orji, a Network Computer Engineer, is managing special projects for USAfrica Media Networks.
