Posted on 01/02/2020 6:50:51 AM PST by C19fan
Twenty years ago, we were all pretty sure the world was going to end on January 1, 2000—or, if not the world, then at least civilization.
It had something to do with how most computer programs used the last two digits to represent a four-digit year, and when the clock rolled over at the end of 1999, every computer would think it was 1900. When that happened, ATMs would stop working, the electrical grid would shut down, planes would fall out of the skies, and newborn babies would get hundred-year-old birth certificates.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
I did. Then it became part of HP. Then HPE. and now DXC
I told every one I knew in 1999 that because of the Y2K problem that would buy a whole house generator. That is, I would buy it in the summer of 2000 after all the idiots who bought one before Y2K would be dumping them on the market. I bought a 12 KW generator for $300.
“we were all pretty sure the world was going to end on January 1, 2000”
We? Who is this ‘we’ this guy refers to? I wasn’t bothered or worried. Never was. I figured if it happened (which I knew it wouldn’t), then I would just proclaim myself as “Emperor of the neighborhood” and all would bow before me.
Now a lot of places have converted back to two digits. But 2020 is confounding things a bit.
I still have one .exe program that I have to turn the clock back to run. No access to the source code to correct.
My spreadsheet is Borland’s Quattro Pro. Written in 1994, still runs.
I had to work on Jan 1 2000 (programmer) and I noticed someone installed temporary Stop signs at major intersections in case the stop lights went down. They quickly snatched them back up
[[I still have one .exe program that I have to turn the clock back to run. No access to the source code to correct.]]
That there is called “Job Security”!
Not much. It was always hype from the ignorant. Sort orders rarely kill anyone.
Perot seemingly ushered in the era of outsourcing. He started serving various insurance providers/processing of medicaid/medicare. Later, EDS worked with airlines and ATM providers in a similar capacity. Value proposition was simple - leverage big iron......
The big change occurred in mid-80’s when General Motors acquired them as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Huge revenues accrued to EDS from GM. The former, not being a party to any UAW profit-sharing agreements, also turned in big profits to the parent. Dramatic head count increases and strong push from mainframe-centric to client/server/networking were dominant themes of the early-to-mid 90’s (at least within the GM sphere which, at the time, was close to 50% of EDS revenues IIRC).
When rumors of a spin-offs of “non-core” GM businesses started gaining steam in mid 90’s, I bailed and found greener pastures immediately. Many who’d waited for the bitter end were not so fortunate. Despite the poor ending, EDS was a tremendous place to work back in the day.
Sorry for prattling - I see so few references to EDS anymore.
I was there too. Back in the late 80s, I joined after Perot had left, though.
Computer programmers who worked where dates actually mattered used different methods of keeping dates. There never were any life-threatening Y2K related problems in the first place. In the business world, billings may have been screwed up. People’s ages might have been computed in error. Nobody would have been physically hurt.
Explain what could have happened that would have been so terrible.
Same here. Joined in 1990. Perot was already gone.
Started at a GM location. Did my 10 weeks in Plano boot camp. Returned to a GM facility and later bull shitted my way to PCs and networking from mainframe work. They were awfully stodgy in those days but the future was quite apparent to me. Wouldn’t trade the experience for anything but glad I pulled the cord when I did.
Started out in their Accounting and Finance area, realized I hated Accounting and Finance, and became an SE, and never looked back.
Sort orders rarely kill anyone.
Also, what I’m talking about is chaos when enough businesses are unable to...
Meh, I had this conversation with a lot of people 20 years ago. No need to rehash it. :)
December 31st, 1999, we were at a large New Year’s Eve party at a house out in the country with no other houses nearby with about 30 people there.
A couple of minutes before midnight, the owner snuck out unnoticed, and at the stroke of midnight, pulled the main breaker. And the house went totally dark. I mean ‘black’.
You should have heard the screaming, mostly wives, but a few husbands too.
And of course, when you looked outside, it was pitch black out there too, since no other homes were around.
Someone finally found a flashlight and they started looking for candles and matches. People were crying and sobbing all around. Then after about 5 minutes, the owner pushed the breaker back on.
Most people thought it was really funny, but a few people didn’t, mostly the ones crying, I think. Some people were so mad they actually broke off friendships.
The company i worked for would have had systems quit working correctly. Dates would have been interpreted incorrectly and auto purchases would have stopped. They system I supported was fine due to actual date fields being used not string dates.
Many of the older systems were patched with what amounts to hacks extending the year issue 50 to 80 years depending on the hack date used. A simple if statement that handles the string dates based on the value of he year.
I can’t say what other systems at other companies would have done if they used these type “dates”. Much like global warming there was too much world ending reporting. I doubt things like electric grid care about dates.
Are you sure? It was a blast to hash it out 20 years ago.
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