The Y2K Problem

By: Derrick Lee and Megan Stoneberg

ITEC 1001-17 Sonal Dekhane November 29, 2007

Year 2000 Problem

Never before in history have we been able to predict the date of a catastropheuntil now. - Y2K Web site

Areas of Focus
Name Overview Programming The Y2K Bug Potential Problems Citizens Views

Government Response The Scare Gary North Preparation Outcome Promotion

Name

Abbreviation for the Year 2000 software problem Acronym accredited by Massachusetts programmer David Eddy Y = year, k = kilo or 1000 (2k = 2000) Also known as the millennium bug or Y2K bug Millennium bug references millennium roll-over

Overview

The Y2K problem is the electronic equivalent of the El Nino and there will be surprises around the globe. - John Hamre, Deputy Secretary of Defense Widespread concern

Failure of critical industries Failure of government functions

Media hearsay/Press coverage fueled publics fear

Programming

Early program design represented years with two digit placeholders instead of four
MM/DD/YY format, i.e. 08/30/99 Widespread practice from early 1960s to late 1980s

Cheaper Saved memory space Unexpected longevity

The Y2K Bug

Hit at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999 Most programs could only handle 20th-century dates When dates turned to 00, computer would default to 1900

Produce erroneous results Affected dates and times on and after January 1, 2000

The Y2K Bug

Inaccuracy of date and time functions

Persons age calculated by difference between two dates within the same century Y2Ks calculated difference of 1 Jan 2000 and 31 Dec 1999 = 100 years Caused incorrect date-related processing

Failure of computer systems

Software, firmware, hardware, embedded systems-->domino effect

Potential Problems

Affect multitude of software programs, mainly accounting and databases

U.S. Social Security Administration

Near total system failure of Health, Corrections, and Welfare departments

Birth dates and records, incorrect prison sentence expirations, payment delays Electricity, finance, utilities, banking, manufacturing, telecom, and airlines

Critical industries would be hit

Citizens Views

The public was divided about the effect Y2K would have on computers
Many believed it to be a hoax Some were ignorant of the technology and oblivious to the hype of the millennium Others feared the worst, believing all computers worldwide would crash

Government Response

U.S. government spent $300+ billion dollars

Three step approach:

Outreach and Advocacy Monitoring and Assessment Contingency Planning and Regulation

Governors Office of Information Technology (OIT) set Y2K schedules

Commonwealth Agencies
Correction goal of 7/1/98 9/30/97, 29 agencies were 3 months ahead

Government Response

Special committees monitored progress

Installed backup of critical files Schedules, tests, and critical evaluations performed

U.S. Government worked alongside FEMA and Red Cross

Fully staffed/prepared for events of Y2K

Government Response

QuickTime an d a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are need ed to see this picture.

The Scare

Computer media professionals aided hysteria

Made warnings/predictions of what was to come

Economic catastrophe Full-blown Depression

In 1997, The Gartner Group estimated, the year 2000 problem could cost U.S. business $240 billion dollarsas many as 10 percent of all businesses wont survive.
By 1999, the figure spiked to $600 billion

The Scare

Book publishers jumped to advertise Michael Hyatt, wrote The Millennium Bug: How to Survive the Coming Chaos

Marketed mass hysteria Book detailed three scenarios of Y2K: Brownout, Blackout, Meltdown In Meltdown, I predict starvation. Without electricity, telecommunications, and bankingthe public will live in a state of terror.

Gary North

Worst Y2K offender

Ran Y2K Forum The Year 2000 Problem: The Year the Earth Stands Still Continuous Y2K promotion
The exodus of computer programmers will begin no later than 1999 Months before January 1, 2000, the worlds stock markets will have crashed

Wrote of gloom and doom of the 21st century Predicted Armageddon

Preparations

Public was advised to prepare for disaster By mid-1999, should be prepared with:
Two to three months of cash withdrawals Hard copies of bank statement
In case of banking failure

Secure residence from intruders

Mass chaos was to ensue Article in Forbes magazine recommended rural areas build hidden rooms to avoid thugs

Preparations

Stockpile essentials:
Generator Nonperishable food Gallons of water Medical supplies

Outcome

No major failures were reported in the United States or Russia No confirmation that preparation prevented Y2K bug The U.S. created the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, to limit liability of Y2K-ready businesses Attorneys prepared for numerous class action lawsuits, but none followed

Promotion

Apple used the Y2K scare for marketing Macintosh is capable of rendering dates to 2020

Later upgraded date calculation through next 60 millennia

"We may not have got everything right, but at least we knew the century was going to end. Science fiction author Douglas Adams, advertising for Mac

Activity Log
Nov. 13, Chose topic Nov. 20, Discussed main points of our presentation Nov. 29, Derrick e-mailed me his section Nov. 30, Megan put the presentation together

References

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/y2k.htm http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/factsheets/Y2K.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem http://www.fmew.com/archive/y2k/ http://www.y2ktimebomb.com/ http://www.co-intelligence.org/y2k_isitreal.html http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/Y/Year_2000_ problem.html http://www.borderlands.com/y2k/y2khyste.htm http://www.countdown.org/y2k/prepare_2000.htm