Why Y2K?
In the year 2000, people will be dancing, singing, partying, kissing each other...and computers around the world will shut down, electricity plants will fail, and financial institutions will go belly up. Such is the Y2K crisis.
Basically, the bug is this: Many of the computers used have a set clock that runs the years as two didgits...like 1970 would be just 70. When the year 2000 hits, the clocks will only register 00, but the computers, not programmed to understand 2000, will think its 1900! This means that millions of computers will become confused, spew corrupted data, or shut down completely. And with the concept that everything now is computerized, from desktop computers, sattelite ...
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what your thinking: "Its not going to happen, someone is going to make some "wonder program" that will fix all the bugs" Well let me tell you something...There are over 500 programming languages, many in foreign languages. Other programs like BASIC and Cobol, are still being used, and those that know it are either Retired, Senile, or dead! In Some cases, the source code no longer exists, which means the language that some computers still use, cannot be gotten into, and repaired. Lets not forget that there are Millions of lines of Code, that the programmers have to go into, find each mistake, correct it, then test it to make sure it dont crash. According to programmers, for every hour spent in finding and repairing the computer code, four hours are needed to test it. I havent even gotten to the part about modified dates (MM/DD/YY, YY/DD/MM, etc)
*Lemme give you an example:The SSA started correcting their Y2K problem in 1991, assigning 400 full time programmers. By Mid 1996, the ...
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billions of money, and Society itself and these pocket-protecting dimbulbs just sat there on there big, fat wallets and probably plan to fiddle while "Rome" burns.
Ok, so we cant fix it..what do we do? Well, there are four things we can do:
Stick your thumbs in your ears and sing loudly, and hope the problem vanishes like yesterday's meatloaf.
Imagine Bill Gates will create some program that will fix everything, not realizing, he's sitting in his mansion, sipping a pina colada, while lounging in his heated jacuzzi with the playmates from last year's Playboy magazine, imagining the money he will make when he gets people to buy brand new computers AFTER the crisis. (little $$ signs ...
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Why Y2K?. (2008, January 13). Retrieved November 19, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Why-Y2K/77415
"Why Y2K?." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Why-Y2K/77415>
"Why Y2K?." Essayworld.com. January 13, 2008. Accessed November 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Why-Y2K/77415.
"Why Y2K?." Essayworld.com. January 13, 2008. Accessed November 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Why-Y2K/77415.
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