Re: Is your organization ready for the Year
The *real* problems aren't the RDBMS based data, and somehow I don't think running the U.S. gov't on 286's is the answer! The real problem is the poorly designed applications - primarily COBOL/IMS that only *stored* 6 digit dates in PIC format ( or some such nonsense ). ;^} The funniest I've seen was to get a descending index in IMS on a date column they would subtract YYMMDD format of the date from 999999 before they inserted the record.. I just checked with a mainframer that says they're *still* doing this silliness - TODAY!!! That's probably why the rush to client/server - rewrite it all before it all blows up! Besides, wasn't the government supposed to rewrite all this COBOL and FORTRAN stuff in ADA? Wasn't *that* supposed to solve all these problems - at the taxpayers expense! 8^( Sincerely, Martin Farber Independent Oracle Consultant "A Jack of all trades and a slave to one." | NYNEX Science & Technology | 500 Westchester Ave, Rm 1B-23 | White Plains, NY 10604 | ----------------- | email: farber@nynexst.com | Voice: 914/644-2656 | FAX: 914/644-2216 In article dgb@dim.intersurf.net, spcsinc@intersurf.com (Mark W. McBride, president, SPCS, Inc.) writes: >Did you hear the news? On Sat, 25 Nov 1995 16:41:14 -0700 (MST), our >ether buddy Roy Hann <rhann@nisku.blackgold.ab.ca> spaketh thusly: > >:)On Mon, 20 Nov 1995, Peter Zuckerman wrote: > >:)> * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS and PRESENTATIONS * * * * * >:)> >:)> >:)> YEAR 2000 SOLUTIONS >:)> >:)> Theme: Resources & Strategies for Managing >:)> the Year 2000 Date Problem >:)> >:)> March 18-21, 1996 * Washington D.C. * U.S.A. >=clip= >:)What a totally fatuous idea! I thought this was a laborious practical >:)joke at first, but now I see it's not. An entire conference devoted to >:)the date change?! Any project manager or system architect who didn't >:)account for this in the last 20 years should be sued for malpractice, not >:)sent on a junket a company expense! And those unfortunates who inherited >:)systems from such clowns would be better off working on fixing the mess >:)than attending a conference which apparently has not yet identified >:)enough actual issues or solutions to put together a brochure. > >Hello Roy! > >You probably don't think it's a big deal, but the USDA does - it >recently issued a CBD announcement seeking solutions to its problems - >and so does the USAF. I snagged the following post from >sci.military.moderated - AFNS is the U.S. Air Force's Official News >Service: >==================================== >From:Sysop Afpan ("sysop@afpan.pa.af.mil") >Date: 1995/11/18 >Newsgroup: sci.military.moderated >Air Force News Service 14nov95a >Date: 1995/11/18 >MessageID: DI9DrD.uC@ranger.daytonoh.attgis.com#1/11 >MessageID: DI9DrD.uC@ranger.daytonoh.attgis.com#2/11 >Segments 1 & 2 of 11 >sender: military@ranger.daytonoh.attgis.com (Sci.military Login) >organization: AT&T Global Information Solutions >newsgroups: sci.military.moderated >=========================================== >Year 2000 to present challenges >by Staff Sgt. Gerald P. Sonnenberg > SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- The next >century is a mere four years away. And as it gets closer, >predictions of flood, famine and other disasters by people >such as the French clairvoyant, Nostradamus, are on the >minds of many. > Though frightening, those predictions are merely >possibilities. > There is at least one prediction for the new millennium >so likely that when it will occur has been narrowed down to >the last second. > "The more I think about the year 2000 the more I realize >the impact it will have on all of us at work and at home," >said Gary Kuhn, an information systems specialist at the >Air Force C4 Agency here. > Kuhn is referring to faulty date logic in computer >systems. This is a computer's inability to handle the date >change from 1999 to 2000 because systems were designed >eliminating the first two digits of the year in software >essential to the functions of thousands of computers. > "Most computer applications use the computer system's >internal clock to time-stamp records, files and transactions. >The year is most often shortened to the last two digits, and >numerical comparisons are performed using those last two >digits," said Kuhn. > The problem's seriousness can be heard in the voices of >the members of the Air Force C4 Agency's Year 2000 >working group as they talk around a conference table. > A corporate Air Force approach must be developed >because there is no "silver bullet" to kill the beast >threatening current technology, said Capt. Don Brown, the >agency's team leader for Year 2000. > The Year 2000 problem could affect every system in the >Air Force as well as other systems worldwide. The >hardware, software, and firmware may not know how to >handle the change in date. And evidence of computer >problems attributed to Year 2000 is already occurring. > According to the December 1992 issue of Case >Strategies, "In 1990, a 107-year-old woman in Denmark >received a letter from the local school system welcoming >her to first grade. And a man of 103 checked into a U.S. >hospital and was assigned to the pediatric ward." > There are many locally produced programs written at the >command, division and branch level that will be affected. >Firmware and software for all kinds of electronic >equipment, communications equipment, cryptographic, >electronic switches, and satellite and weapons systems must >be addressed. > Brown's working group is preparing for the arrival of >representatives from major commands, direct reporting >units, and field operating agencies at the agency Nov. 28-30 >for a Year 2000 conference. > "We'll be addressing three main items," said Brown. >"Sizing the problem Air Force-wide, getting the necessary >tools to system managers, and developing an Air Force >corporate approach." > The attendees will also hear a success story by a guest >speaker from Federal Express. > If you want to know if your computer will be affected, >try setting the date on it to Dec. 31, 1999, at 11:58 p.m. >Turn off your computer and wait three to four minutes. >Turn it back on and check the date. > "It should be a minute or two past midnight, on the >morning of Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000. Mine responded with >Jan. 4, 1980," said Kuhn. > It is estimated that 80 percent of existing PCs may fall >back in time. > A World Wide Web home page is available to share >information throughout the Air Force, and a mailing list is >also set up for Air Force members to discuss lessons >learned. >======================= > >Best, Mac > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > |SCANDINAVIAN PC SYSTEMS, INC "Not high tech, | > | Baton