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Started By
Message
re: Does anyone remember the hysteria from the Y2K "bug"? The first media scam I can remember
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:35 am to Pitt Road
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:35 am to Pitt Road
quote:
We went through millions of lines of code looking for any date functions. If it was a two digit date, it had to be changed to a four digit function then thoroughly regression tested. The source code was "C" and it was not too bad, just time consuming. The OS was UNIX. One of the problems was identifying and verifying all the various scripts and miscellaneous stuff was compliant and so forth.
Thanks for the perspective. It would be time consuming even with scripts for sure. A lot of it was speculation and not real issues, and billions were wasted. You could force the date ahead in a test database to see if it would fail. A lot of them didn't, yet companies went in and wasted $ anyway. When the clock turned over even the "experts" were predicting a bit of a hit in the world on non-compliant systems.
It didn't happen and vanished in less than 24 hours.
This post was edited on 5/10/22 at 11:35 am
2
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:36 am to Pitt Road
quote:
Dude, two digit date codes were used because memory was extremely tight, nothing like today.
If you read the articles and links from then they say this was only one of the issues.
The main one was that people didn't think that far ahead. Memory being saved still has to answer to 00, it doesn't change anything. Once you settle on the 2 digit memory code you had best have a solution for 10-20 years from then if it directly relates to (Y2K Bug), especially it being "catastrophic". None of these dudes thought of it
This post was edited on 5/10/22 at 11:43 am
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:39 am to musick
I remember I had started a job at south Arkansas community hospital and was with a group of people that had serious mental deficiencies. The stupid ceo was actually scared a jet was going to crash into the hospital. Just a bunch of idiots.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:42 am to musick
quote:
billions were wasted
quote:Do you think maybe the billions spent weren't wasted but instead helped things to go pretty smoothly?
It didn't happen
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:42 am to musick
quote:
Thanks for the perspective. It would be time consuming even with scripts for sure. A lot of it was speculation and not real issues, and billions were wasted. You could force the date ahead in a test database to see if it would fail. A lot of them didn't, yet companies went in and wasted $ anyway. When the clock turned over even the "experts" were predicting a bit of a hit in the world on non-compliant systems. It didn't happen and vanished in less than 24 hours.
I actually agree with you, it was pretty much a nothing burger.
One of the big things that another poster alluded to was liability. Some companies could not take a chance and needed to show proof and have a paper trail just in case something went wrong.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:44 am to Korkstand
quote:
Do you think maybe the billions spent weren't wasted but instead helped things to go pretty smoothly?
Nope, since it was routine software maintenance for programmers and companies. There wasn't some task force that needed to fund 1000s of new programmers or pay existing ones overtime. Literally software engineers in their basic roles would have fixed this with no hysteria and no story. And no buckets of wasted food
quote:
One of the big things that another poster alluded to was liability. Some companies could not take a chance and needed to show proof and have a paper trail just in case something went wrong.
yea, another great point, I didnt consider
This post was edited on 5/10/22 at 11:47 am
Posted on 5/10/22 at 11:58 am to musick
quote:Poring over every line of code written years/decades ago is *not* routine. There is very much a culture of "if it ain't broke don't fix it", and a lot of code is never looked at as long as it keeps working. I think you are underestimating just how much operational code there is/was in the world, even back in the 90s.
Nope, since it was routine software maintenance for programmers and companies. There wasn't some task force that needed to fund 1000s of new programmers or pay existing ones overtime. Literally software engineers in their basic roles would have fixed this with no hysteria and no story.
There are also a lot of embedded systems, which are not as easy to test and update.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:00 pm to musick
Imagine something similar today. I suspect it would become political with one side pushing it 24-7 and the other calling it a hoax. Huge government subsidies to bail out businesses that somehow end up in politicians and their donars’ pockets . Maybe some widespread looting and rioting the night of the event.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:01 pm to EvrybodysAllAmerican
quote:
Huge government subsidies to bail out businesses
You know it.
of course, the largest corporations would benefit the most.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:04 pm to musick
It was exactly how you described. A big nothingburger.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:15 pm to biglego
quote:It was a big nothingbuger because companies spent the time and money to make sure it was a big nothingburger.
It was exactly how you described. A big nothingburger.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:21 pm to Salviati
That’s what they want you to think
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:21 pm to musick
I was very worried. I lived in NOLA at the time. That meant I had to count on Entergy and the S&WB to get it right.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:23 pm to musick
It produced one of the greatest wrestling intros of all-time.
Y2J
Y2J
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:26 pm to musick
I got a sweet deal on a colt Hbar due to y2k. Dude bought it and wife made him return it to the gun shop. Got it for a few hundred cheaper.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:26 pm to musick
I remember the Y2K hysterical but I was never worried about it. I did not prep or do anything out of the ordinary. I remember on Dec 31st, 1999 I heard reports that news years had already hit in China and nothing bad had happened. So I knew nothing was going to happen here.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:30 pm to musick
quote:yes they do.
This was the first time I realized the media used fear and panic to spread false information.
quote:well nothing happened because they fixed the issue...
It ended up being a huge nothing burger, but many companies spent "millions" of dollars to "fix" the glitch, when in reality there was no issue.
Now would that issue, if not fixed, cause the collapse of Society.... no. But it was an issue.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:32 pm to musick
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:40 pm to musick
I remember the best buy stickers
I remember their being serious concern.
I also remember this being talked about for several years... and systems being "patched". I remember upgrading Windows and programs to install patches.
I don't recall mass hysteria or people going out into the woods to freak out. I think you are overplaying that a bit.
I remember their being serious concern.
I also remember this being talked about for several years... and systems being "patched". I remember upgrading Windows and programs to install patches.
I don't recall mass hysteria or people going out into the woods to freak out. I think you are overplaying that a bit.
Posted on 5/10/22 at 12:47 pm to musick
At that time I managed a team of programmers that did exactly that.
Most companies don't make their internal IT projects public, and there are things called NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreements) that prevent people from talking about them. I currently have responsibility for over 600 ongoing IT projects, and I don't know of a single one that is public knowledge.
Companies don't talk openly about this stuff. The media talked about it incessantly, but the actual companies didn't unless it was an interview for an IT journal.
Most companies don't make their internal IT projects public, and there are things called NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreements) that prevent people from talking about them. I currently have responsibility for over 600 ongoing IT projects, and I don't know of a single one that is public knowledge.
Companies don't talk openly about this stuff. The media talked about it incessantly, but the actual companies didn't unless it was an interview for an IT journal.
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