Do you remember Y2K?

D2Cat · Dec 26, 2019

Remember all the fear when the clock struck mid night when the year 2000 would begin? The Millennium bug was going to shut down computers, power plants quit working, transportation hubs not functioning. Without electricity we wouldn't be able to have heat, gas at the stations, no food in the grocery stores. People we selling bomb shelters (because nuclear missiles would be launched), dried food, guns, ammo, sweat pants..... We were not going to make it easily!

Does it remind you of anything going on today?

SidecarFlip · Dec 26, 2019

Should it?

skeets · Dec 26, 2019

I think there has always been that element, since the cold war. Though until the last 20 years or so this element was almost unknown. Back when we were kids food stock piles, fuel stock piles and taking care of our selves was an everyday way of life. And now the fear mongers are making tons of money on the fear of something happening. As the good book says this too shall pass

BruceP · Dec 26, 2019

As a software developer, I recall the Y2K issue very well. I spent literally MONTHS of testing, evaluating and correcting for Y2k issues.

I performed the following procedure over 50 times under critical scrutiny:
1) Prepare a computer with image (NOT connected to network!)
2) Change the date to a couple minutes before Y2k
3) Wait for the clock to increment and observe operation.

It was a REAL threat. Much of the older software did not have the capacity to count beyond that point. (not enough bits available to count that high)

All modern software has the ability to count dates WELL past any of our lifetimes so that issue is not a concern.

I am not sure what the original poster is alluding to.... It certainly is not the kernal software which maintains the date on any modern computer.

mickeyd · Dec 26, 2019

I remember that time very well. Like Bruce, I was the head of IT for a consulting firm and that was our busiest time.

One of my favorite stories is at a meeting of CEO of big companies around September of 99 when one of the CEO's stood up and said: "A lot of people are saying that we will be alright at Y2K but are we willing to bet our companies on it?"

That fear is why there was so much new hardware and software sold that fall.

GreensvilleJay · Dec 27, 2019

Actully the Y2K 'problem' is WORSE today than back then. Been into computers since 74, design /build/program...retired now just 'play with PICs'.
Today a single person can change every PC enabled for timekeeping via the Web. Neighbour didn't believe me( has 32 PCs in office ), so I brought in my laptop, went to his cable modem,removed cable,added my PC, pressed F12 and golly gee, EVERY PCs time was now May 26 1953.
The more complicated they make computers the easier it is to have 'fun' with them.

skeets · Dec 27, 2019

Scotty:
The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.

torch · Dec 27, 2019

It seems to me that the fact that we didn't see any serious Y2K problems is because people in power DID heed the warnings of the experts and took appropriate action before it was too late despite the expense and inconvenience.

It does remind me of things that are going on today, but not in a good way...

motionclone · Dec 27, 2019

It was an extremely small computer problem that was magnified into an apocalyptic event by those they prey on emotional responses to the unknown.

Computers were magic boxes back then and most people didnt understand how they worked and were easily manipulated into thinking that the world would end because of them and this "glitch"

A few small changes to software and billions of dollars worth of fear spending and everything turned out OK.

YES exactly like other fear mongering scams.

RCW · Dec 27, 2019

Sure do recall it. I was in the water supply/wastewater business, as a regulatory guy.

Lots of generators were ready to go. One food-related manufacturing plant (1.5M gpd) had an extra trailer-mounted brought in. It was 1MW, and the radiator filled the back doors of the semi-box trailer.

edritchey · Dec 27, 2019

I remember it too that was the year I quit smoking it was my new years resolution and I haven't smoked since.

GreensvilleJay · Dec 27, 2019

Ed I'm super proud of you !!!! Both my parents dies 33 years ago due to smoking, 1/2 my lifetime...

Poohbear · Dec 28, 2019

The fear of the what's going to happen that some were led to believe was sometimes off the chart.Near me, There was a church with a different way of thinking than most ,not saying I'm right or they were wrong, that the head guy had them gather for the end of time and wait for all of his followers to be taken from this earth. It didn't happen and led to the end of Ambassador College

dlsmith · Dec 28, 2019

None of the world's religions have been very good at predicting the end of the world. Can't imagine why.
Maybe it's a bad connection to the man in charge.

AndyM · Dec 28, 2019

And yet the new green religion predicts the end daily.

D2Cat · Dec 29, 2019

Maybe it's because the man in charge told them they would not know, but some don't read or comprehend too well.

eserv · Dec 29, 2019

D2Cat said:
Maybe it's because the man in charge told them they would not know, but some don't read or comprehend too well.

Matthew 24:36

skeets · Dec 29, 2019

1 Thessalonians 5:2

NHSleddog · Feb 9, 2020

The fear in 2K was based on real tangible issues. The current fear is based on a completely avoidable condition TDS. It starts with coping skills.

My fathers company manufactures controllers for embedded devices. I worked for him when I was younger before starting my own company.

Several hundred of those controllers we manufactured needed replacing based on a specific chipset used. Some of these controllers were in gas stations. Fire control systems. Industrial machinery. All over the world and had to be replaced (no patch or update to fix).

For us it was a real issue that cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars based on a bug inside a chip from one supplier.

One customer with a bunch of machines that didn't want any downtime just set all the machine clocks back 10 years. So some didn't fix, but worked around the issue.

gssixgun · Feb 9, 2020

Yeah I remember it all to well, our Payroll software didn't get the Patch and ran back to the 1800's

Spent the next two days trying to get it corrected and our staff payed
Being as it was a Nightclub I was not happy to be there trying to get it corrected after one of the best NY eve nights in history

To rub salt in the wound that Feb it went off to the races with the leap year payroll on Feb 29th I was much faster at correcting that payroll since I had done it the last month LOL

Do you remember Y2K?

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