Y2k Bug 2 Essay, Research Paper

Y2K Bug

Peoples may non be observing the bend of the New Year come the Year 2000 due to the Millennium Bug. This bug has become the biggest job confronting authoritiess, concerns, and other organisations who depend on computing machines ( Hestnes, 1997 ) . Many inquiries underlie the Y2K bug job. These inquiries include what is the job, what caused the job, what types of systems will be affected, can the job be fixed, what can the people do to fix, what is the estimated cost to repair the job, and what is the current position worldwide.

The Year 2000 computing machine job or the Y2K bug, as it is called, involves computing machines non acknowledging the Year 2000 as valid information. The ground for this is because computing machine plans store the day of the month in merely two figures. For illustration 1998 is stored as 98 and the Year 2000 being stored as 00. This means that a computing machine will believe that the Year 2000 occurred before the twelvemonth 1999. Computers will read 2000 as 1900, which will do them non to treat day of the month information right. The job affects computing machine applications and runing systems computing machine hardware, every bit good as, many other systems that use computing machine engineering ( Tippins, 1998 ) .

The cause of the job dates back to the 1960 s when computing machines were at a premium. Memory and difficult thrust infinite was expensive, so in order to conserve infinite coders shortened the day of the month field to two figures. The ground for this is due to money. The cost of hive awaying two bytes of excess informations would hold cost more than people were willing to pay. Due to this creative activity 1000000s of plans, computing machines and other systems will non work when it reads the day of the month of 1/1/2000 ( Tippins, 1998 ) .

The types of systems that will be affected due to the bug include everything that has been designed over the last 30 old ages and that has non yet been updated. The bug will impact many things that we use in our day-to-day lives. Pacific Business News quotes Gary Caulfield as stating, Anything with a computing machine clock that drives a package plan will be effected by this ( Gillingham, 1996 ) . Computer systems route electricity to our places and control communicating through agencies of telecastings, wirelesss, and phones. The ATM, which is a computing machine system, has been made convenient for people to utilize their bank histories. The medical field uses computing machine systems to make assorted types of attention for patients. These are merely a few illustrations of what will be affected by the Y2K bug ( Tippins, 1998 ) .

The Y2K bug can be fixed, but non all systems will be fixed on clip. In order to repair the job work force and clip is needed ( Tippins, 1998 ) . Experts say, We re non ready, and at that place isn Ts plenty skilled manpower to acquire ready on clip ( Roberts, 1998 ) . There are non plenty computing machine applied scientists to repair every system on clip. A new tool has been developed that may assist the authorities, Bankss and companies toward a solution. The merchandise is called Millennium Solution, by Data Integrity of Waltham, Mass. The solution hunts for the math in a package plan and is instructed to add 50 twice. This solution doesn T work in all systems, but its a start ( Maney, 1998 ) . Two other ways have been suggested in ways to plan around the Y2K job, rewrite the package so that the day of the month uses the four-digit twelvemonth or rewrite the package so that it assumes the day of the months prior to some day of the month ( Burke,

1998 ) .

To do the passage easier for everyone, people should name on their proficient support or computing machine seller to happen out what their purposes are to repair the job and happen out if they will hold package available to happen and repair jobs with their system. If an single programs on purchasing a computing machine, they should inquire if it is compatible for the Year 2000 job and happen out what package and proficient support is available in order to do the new system compatible. Besides, persons should do it a wont to utilize four figures for the twelvemonth ( Farm Credit Corporation, 1998 ) . The authorities should besides acquire more involved and get down looking at the job more earnestly. President Clinton signed Executive Order 13073 renting the president s Year 2000 Conversion Council, a high-level, coordinated attempt to update the federal authorities s mission critical computing machine systems ( Roberts, 1998 ) . Clinton named John Koskinen president of the twelvemonth 2000 Conversion Council.

The estimated costs to work out the Y2K job are anyplace from 300 billion to 600 billion dollars worldwide. The United States entirely is estimated to be above 70 billion dollars. Since there is a batch of money to be made from the Y2K bug, applied scientists and systems planimeters have started their ain concerns to supply solutions for the bug. The current position worldwide is different than that of the United States. Many states are non as dependant on computing machines as the United States. The U.S. is dependent upon them for natural stuffs, goods and services. We are tied to them through a web of transportation, communications, banking, finance, and trade. Other states will hold the same job with the Y2K bug, but many of them have non even taken a expression at the job. The systems that we depend on from the foreign states for merchandises may neglect, because they are non prepared. The job needs to be fixed on both terminals in order to avoid an economic prostration ( Tippins, 1998 ) .

Make to the myopia of the coders who originally developed the two figures as a criterion operating process for computing machine systems, our state will undergo many ruinous jobs. Many inquiries have risen over the Y2K bug and computing machine experts are seeking their best to reply those inquiries, give penetration on the bug, and come up with solutions to repair the job.

Mentions

Burke, G. ( 1998, March ) . Countdown to catastrophe. Futures, 27 ( 3 ) , 62.

Gillingham, P. ( 1996, December 30 ) . 2000 could be an unhappy new twelvemonth for many concerns. Pacific Business News, 34 ( 42 ) , 8.

Farm Credit Corporation. ( 1998, September 21 ) . The twelvemonth 2000 challenge. http//www.fcc- sca.ca/english/customer % 20service/managing % 20your % 20farm/year2000.html.

Hestnes, E. ( 1997 ) . The Millennium Bug Countdown to 2000. hypertext transfer protocol: //newmedia.jrn.columbia.edu/1997/projects/Project_4/Y2k/ .

Maney, K. ( 1998, July 7 ) . Breakthrough may assist squelch Y2K bug. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dii2000.com/usatoday13.html.

Mukherjee, S. ( 1998, June 8 ) . Firms waiting to repair Y2K bug, survey says. Business Journal Serving San Jose & A ; Silicon Valley, 16 ( 5 ) , 52.

Roberts, J. ( 1998, August ) . Whose job is 2000? American Spectator, 31 ( 8 ) , 28.

Tippins, C. ( 1998, September 15 ) . The Year 2000 job, an debut for the Lay individual. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.miamionthenet.com/y2k.htm