Y2k Essay, Research Paper

Civilization? s dependance upon computing machines has grown exponentially in the last 30 old ages. Businesss use computing machines to maintain their records, write studies, and to discourse with co-workers and clients. The mean bourgeois depends chiefly on their computing machine to finish a twenty-four hours? s work. Old ages ago, coders caused what could hold potentially been a major job with modern computing machine systems. While trying to conserve scarce and expensive information spots, they programmed the twelvemonth utilizing two figures alternatively of four. At the bend of the century, computing machine systems would non be able to know apart between the twelvemonth 1900 and the twelvemonth 2000. As the guess of what would go on at the bend of the millenary grew, those who depended on computing machines became frightened at the idea of what their universe might go. In order to forestall any major jobs from happening, steps were to taken to mend this bug. Now that the beginning of the new century has passed, it is safe to state that the safeguards taken by concerns and the authorities were non done so in vain. Now the century has turned, our computing machines are safe and precautions no longer need be taken.

On and after January 1, there were several Y2K related jobs with computing machines around the universe, but these jobs were minor and solvable. For case, an monocle lens maker? s works had problems with conveying up purchase orders when clients had inquiries, because the purchase orders were sorted by day of the month. In add-on, the same maker? s works had computing machines commanding the fabrication procedure. Since jobs affected the computing machines in their gross revenues and disposal office, they felt it necessary to hold employees hand-check the quality and truth of each lens before it left the edifice ( Zandonella, par. 4 ) . These jobs led to little reverses in concern, but they were able to retrieve in clip to keep their repute.

In several instances, the Y2K bug affected the package involved in processing purchases made with recognition cards. There were some studies of people accidentally being billed for the same repast up to twelve times. The consumers involved experient low histories, bounced cheques, and hours spent unbending out balances with Bankss and recognition card companies ( Y2K, par. 1 ) . If safeguards had non been taken by most of the recognition card companies, many more instances similar to these could hold occurred doing a great catastrophe in the recognition industry. Peoples might hold lost religion in recognition card companies, which make up big parts of the economic system.

In Kansas City, KS, a few tribunal instances were delayed, including a civil suit sing a unlawful decease, due to twelvemonth 2000 related computing machine failure. In one instance, two citizens were non served subpoenas until about two months after they were issued ( Overman, par. 2 ) . Ellen Crawford, public information officer for the Jackson County Circuit Court, commented, ? There were a batch of jobs and one of them was publishing biddings? ( Overman, par. 8 ) .

The coders blamed for composing all this? bugg

Y? package by the way caused the bug with good purposes. Now that the stuffs they were originally trying to conserve are comparatively cheap, coders would merely be lazy to use a two-digit twelvemonth alternatively of four. The lone possibility of another panic miming this one is in 8,000 old ages, when the twelvemonth turns to 10000. At the rate engineering in package technology has been traveling in the last 30 old ages, it is really improbable that the same package will be used in 8,000 old ages.

Some people believed that the Y2K safeguards were taken in vain, and that far excessively much money was spent on the job. Many compared the United States to smaller states, mentioning that the sum these other states spent to repair these jobs was slender to none. Despite a few exclusions, these states had no major jobs along with the United States. For illustration, International Data Corp. accused the United States authorities of overspending by $ 41 billion. Meanwhile, the Chair of the President? s Council on the Year 2000 Conversion agrees that there was overspending, but that it was more in the scope of $ 10 billion ( Berkowitz, par. 2 ) . Harmonizing to Ben Berkowitz of the University of Southern California, the CIO of the 3Com corporation believes that disbursement was? out of proportion by orders of magnitude? ( par. 4 ) . Even though these people believe there was monolithic overspending, no 1 can knowingly state whether or non this money was good spent. If these so called extra sums of money had non been spent, there might hold been more major jobs.

Jonathan Weber of CNN agrees that there likely would hold been jobs if concerns and the authorities had non spent as much money on this issue as they did, but he contests that? computing machines have all sorts of jobs all the time. ? He believes that concerns? bing staffs were big plenty to maintain their computing machine systems running through the bend of the century ( par. 1 ) .

Although there are many who believe the safeguards taken by those amongst us were taken in vain, their beliefs are baseless. There is no natural grounds that nil would hold happened if we had non taken the steps we did. Happenings of minor jobs related to the Y2K bug throughout the universe, nevertheless, show that if the right stairss had non been taken, it is really possible that the universe would hold experienced a great calamity. Now that it is over we can allow out a suspiration of alleviation and experience reassured that fixing for the twelvemonth 2000 was the logical thing to make.

Berkowitz, Ben. Postmortem: The Bug Appears to Be Beaten. 6 Jan. 2000. Y2K Media Watch. 8 Nov. 2000. .

Overman, Amanda. Glitch Holds Up Civil Suit. 8 Feb. 2000. The Missourian. 6 Nov. 2000. .

Weber, Jonathan. Y2K Hype Shows Our Fear of Out-Of-Control-World. 24 Dec.1999. CNN. 8 Nov. 2000. .

Y2k Problem Led Local Businesses to Overbill More than $ 100,000. 2 Feb. 2000. 6 Nov. 2000. .

Zandonella, Catherine. Santa Cruz Firm Sees Success in Prescription Eyewear Industry. 20 Feb. 2000. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 6 Nov. 2000. .