For my first column of the year 1999, I wish to report that
Chicken Little has returned. Yes, the Sky is falling. The sky is
falling. The world is coming to an end as soon as the calendar
reaches the year 2000. Why? Because then all the computers will
fail and the government will fall apart. Nuclear missiles will
misfire. Airplanes will fall from the sky or crash because their
computers won't work. No one will receive any government checks.
People will starve. There will be anarchy and starvation. Riots
will follow. Run for the hills, hide, hoard the food and load up
on ammunition for your shotguns.
Does this all sound ridiculous? Well, there are some Americans
who believe all this will happen. Survivalists who have been
preparing for catastrophes for the past thirty years are smugly
claiming that they were right all the time. The end is coming.
Exactly what is the y2k bug? I don't know but it must be real bad
because it's terrifying everybody. Even those who would never be
that concerned about computer technology are voicing alarm. A
fellow artist, Ruth, told me several months ago that she was
worried about the upcoming millennium crisis. She has a personal
computer and wondered if all the data inside would be deleted. I
answered glibly that the problem didn't affect small PC's and
only large mainframe systems would be affected. I was wrong, very
wrong.
In the past two years, a problem that was originally described as
affecting large mainframes has been found to be potentially fatal
to personal computers as well. I have done a little research on
the subject and what I have learned is both fascinating and
alarming.
Let me make one thing clear right off the bat. While I do not
wish to make light of a serious matter, I do not anticipate any
great calamity occurring on Jan.1, 2000. The government has been
aware of this problem since 1995 and has instituted the necessary
safeguards. Private companies are also making whatever upgrades
are necessary to ensure uninterrupted access to their computers.
The biggest danger that we face is panic by an uninformed public.
People who are afraid that their bank funds will be unavailable
may cause an unnecessary run on the banks. The Federal Reserve
has prepared for such an event and will be setting aside
additional funds for the banks. But F.D.R. was absolutely right
when he said that the only thing we have to face is fear itself.
The Y2k problem is solvable but it will take money- a lot of
money. Many systems have to be upgraded so that their computers
can recognize four digit years. Currently many pre-1997 systems
can only recognize two digits which is why the year 2000 may be
confused with 1900. This conflict will allegedly cause system
halts and programs to malfunction. It is a problem that has to be
taken seriously but it should not be causing panic.
I'll try to keep the following information simple because I hate
techno-babble myself but it is very important. If you have an old
computer you may need to upgrade your system. The reason is that
inside every personal computer there are three time-keeping
components. The BIOS (Basic Input Output System), which works
when the computer is turned on; RTC (Real Time Clock) maintained
in a battery-backed computer chip functions as a running clock;
CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), this memory chip
stores the RTC Data and works when the computer is turned off.
Okay, wake up now. I'm almost through.
These three components work together to access the
applications(word processing programs, spreadsheets and
accounting packages) that run on a PC. While there are software
programs available to fix flaws in the systems, the BIOS is where
experts believe the most significant problem lies. Replacement of
the BIOS may require replacement rather than a simpler software
adjustment. That's because there are so many different BIOS
manufacturers involved that no one adjustment (Patch) may work.
Believe it or not, that's as simple as I was able to get. I can't
afford to be without my computer so I upgraded my main
motherboard this year and I am set for the next millennium or at
least the next few years. If you are not sure if your computer is
2000 compliant get some expert advice. There are some very simple
tests that you can perform on your PC involving resetting your
clock manually but I don't advise it unless you have backed up
all your data.
There is a wealth of information on the Internet but steer clear
of sites predicting Armageddon. It's truly ironic that people are
looking towards biblical prophecy to predict the end of the
world. The Bible provides a message of hope that good will
conquer evil so what are we good people worried about? Call me a
cock-eyed optimist but I see a silver lining in this momentous
event.
Y2K consultants have reported that while we Americans are taking
this potential crisis very seriously, they have not witnessed the
same concern by other countries. At the moment we are far ahead
of other nations in solving the problem. This may of course
present a problem for U.S. companies doing business abroad but I
am sure they are taking the necessary precautions to safeguard
their investments. The United States may emerge from this even
stronger than before as long as we don't let our fears destroy
us.
I wonder how much attention Saddam Hussein is paying to this
problem. Iraq's guided missile and other defense systems are
computer activated as well. Hmmmm.
The last time I checked the latest y2k update, the United States
government has been upgrading all it's systems and is on schedule
for the next millennium. The only glitch they've run into has
been with the Internal Revenue Service computers. Does anyone
seriously doubt they'll be fixed in time?