In article <[log in to unmask]>, dated Thu, 3 Dec 1998 at
12:02:29, Ron Snape <[log in to unmask]> writes
>On Wed, 2 Dec 1998 21:29:51 EST, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>
>>After all who created the Millenium Bug but the IT experts?
>>
>
>On Thu, 03 Dec 1998 10:09:30 , "Ahmad Risk" wrote:
>>
>>Wrong. We (humans) created it by our inbuilt sloppiness.
>>
>
>Wrong again! As an ex-mainframe (that's an old, big, slow box for those who
>have never come across the term before) programmer, it was came about
>because no-one was prepared to stand up to the finance-droids and make them
>pay for the extra memory needed to write the programs properly!
>
Forgive me, I have to say that is just a slight over-simplification and
hence a little misleading.
The cost of 'memory' back in the '60's and '70s was significant and on
the basis that most applications would have a limited life, the savings
involved were at the time justifiable. Unfortunately, the premise that
all applications being written at the time would be replaced long before
2 digit years became a problem has proved not to be the case.
Additionally in the intervening years it is probably true to say that 2
digit year dates continued to be used partly out of habit and partly for
ease of upgrade migration. Memory cost would have played a part but one
of decreasing significance as memory cost dropped.
In more recent years, programmers have warned management of the
seriousness and extent of the approaching Y2K problem long before it
became media-fashionable. The reasons management by and large chose to
ignore the warnings (and are doing so still in many cases) are several
but mostly to do with impact on current projects both in implementation
delays and manpower budgets. Add to that a measure of unwillingness on
the part of IT managers to confess to their MD and fellow non-IT
managers that the time was fast approaching when their companies would
be in deep shit because of 'this little date problem'. A combination of
head in the sand and manyana syndromes has meant that the warnings of
the troops have failed to reach the ears of the generals in time or that
the generals have been mislead into believing that the problem could be
resolved by throwing money at it at the last moment (a little or a lot
depending on the extent of the deception). For many it is now too late
to do more than damage limitation exercises.
Chris
--
Chris Salter (Vice Chairman) Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network
Registered Charity No. 1064177
<URL:http://www.zynet.co.uk/ott/polio/lincolnshire/>
Web Site & Vice Chairman Email: [log in to unmask]
Honorary Secretary Email: [log in to unmask]
Member of the British Healthcare Internet Association
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