Y2k & # 8211 ; The Millenium Bug Essay, Research Paper
The Y2K job, the twelvemonth 2000 bug, and the millenium bug are all different names for the same major job that all computing machines face one time the clock work stoppages midnight, January 1, 2000. Some say that it is merely a minor bug, yet some experts refer to it as & # 8220 ; Armageddon. & # 8221 ; The job stems from old systems which store the twelvemonth part of day of the months in two-digit signifier ( i.e. : 1997 is stored as & # 8220 ; 97 & # 8243 ; ) . Old ages ago, COBOL coders used this attack to conserve memory because it was really dearly-won so. This really is a really clever system, because it is simple, it saves a batch of memory, and it works. However, the original coders overlooked one major job: When the century ( or millenium ) changes to a twelvemonth stoping in & # 8220 ; 00, & # 8221 ; the computing machine will misinterpret the & # 8220 ; 00 & # 8243 ; to intend & # 8220 ; 1900 & # 8243 ; alternatively of & # 8220 ; 2000. & # 8221 ; Some people besides point out that the systems may non be able to acknowledge the twelvemonth 2000 as a leap twelvemonth, because it is merely one out of every four centuries that is a leap twelvemonth, doing the computing machine to jump February 29, 2000 ( if it even makes it past January 1 ) .
The most annihilating issue with the Y2K job is the fact that cipher knows precisely what is traveling to go on. Experts are unable to find how a system is traveling to respond when it encounters 12:00 AM, January 1, 2000. It may merely reset to January 1, 1900, it may lock up, or it may crash. Y2K is non isolated to any one piece of hardware or package in a system. The job may lie in any one of the system constituents. Even with computing machines with Year 2000 & # 8220 ; Compliant & # 8221 ; or & # 8220 ; Ready & # 8221 ; package, such as Microsoft Windows 98, it is non guaranteed that the system as a whole is Y2K compliant. The failure of plans on the computing machine is non the lone job. Some hardware constituents could be affected every bit good. An illustration of a constituent that all computing machine systems have that could be affected is the system BIOS and the Real Time Clock ( RTC ) , which track the day of the month and clip for the full system.
Still, it is non merely computing machines that will be affected. Many electronic dev
ices which most people do non see computing machines incorporate little computing machines, called micro-controllers or programmable logic accountants ( PLCs ) . Any type of personal electronic device, particularly those which keep path of the day of the month and clip, could be affected and rendered useless by the Y2K bug.
Most large-scale companies are passing 100s of 1000s to 1000000s of dollars on tracking down and repairing this job. However, many experts say that most concerns will non travel under. They say that if any concerns do travel under, it will be the little concerns which do non hold the capacity to cover with a job of this graduated table. The big concerns, nevertheless, do hold the capableness to get by with this job with minimum losingss. These concerns, such as the Microsoft Corporation and Intel, have done extended research on the Y2K job, disbursement in the 1000000s of dollars, and have developed hardware and package which is Y2K compliant. They are besides doing attempts to inform the populace of the job and communicate to them how to fix for it through newspapers, telecasting, and the Internet. In add-on, many companies offer package for download which will prove a user s system for Y2K compatibility.
There are, nevertheless, ever the Zealots who are taking this job manner out of proportion. Some fear that because of the Y2K job, the stock market will crash, and that banking systems will travel down, so they are drawing out all their money out of their Bankss and selling their portions in companies. Others are carrying up on canned goods and fixing for every bit mentioned above Armageddon.
The Y2K job has caused really different reactions from different people throughout the universe. The universe today is about wholly based on computing machines, and there are few who do non interact with them on a daily footing. This job will impact everyone who does utilize computing machines, and as January 1, 2000 attacks, computing machine users anxiousness degrees are lifting. What will be the result? Will Y2K be the terminal of the universe as we know it? We ll all find out at midnight, January 1, 2000.
