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Y2K - The Year 2000
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Dear Visitor,
Hello! This paragraph was added on October 23, 2000. I am glad you made it through the mayhem of Y2K to join me here. This page was first published several months before the "big day". The "big day" being January 1, 2000. This was to be the day that anything that was even remotely related to computers would shut down, changing the world as we know it. We were told that this could effect our cars, elevators, VCR's, the banking system, the "electric grid", and more. I, Steve Hewitt, David Robert Loblaw, and some others had a rather optimistic view of the situation. Many people considered us downright crazy. One who believed the sky was falling (and still does) is Gary North, who still maintains his pessimistic web site on the subject. The rest of this page will stay as it looked before the "big day".
I was eleven years old when I first became interested in computers. That was back in 1981. Back then most schools had not even one personal computer. The expressions "internet", "PC", and "Bill Gates", were almost unheard of. Now the previously unknown Mr. Gates is the richest man in America, and everyone is in a fuss over something called "Y2K".
Where does the term Y2K come from?
Why does the year 2000 cause problems for computers?
Why would an intelligent computer programmer do such a stupid thing?
When does the next millennium start?
If that's true, then why is it called the Millennium Bug?
Are the rumors true that say that all home appliances, cars, elevators and the national power grid will fail on January 1, 2000?
I heard that the Federal Reserve is printing millions in reserve money in case there is a run on the banks. Is my money safe?
If what you say is true, how come I have heard so much that is contradictory to what you say?
So who stands to profit?
Are you saying that nobody should worry about Y2K whatsoever?
Y2K Links
Where does the term Y2K come from?
It's quite simple really. The "Y" stands for "Year", the "2" stands for, well 2. And the "K" stands for "Kilo" which means "thousand". So Y2K is an abbreviation for "Year 2000".
Why does the year 2000 cause problems for computers?
Many computer programs were written so that they only use the last two digits of a year when date information is processed. Computers programmed in this fashion will likely "roll over" to 00 in the year 2000. Since 00 is less than 99, computers may think that it is 1900, or may be confused by the 00.
This is called the "Y2K bug" and sometimes the "Millennium bug". (See "When does the millennium start?" below)
Why would an intelligent computer programmer do such a stupid thing?
One reason that this was done was to save precious computer memory. Way back when, computers did not have much memory, and memory was expensive. Also, many programmers figured that as new technology developed, new programs would be written. But in many cases it was more economical to keep the same reliable software, rather than spend money on more programs, training, etc.
When does the next millennium start?
The next millennium starts on January 1, 2001. That's right! Not in the year 2000, but in 2001! This is because there was not a year 0. Therefore one millennium is the thousand years from 1 to 1000; the millennium after that is the years from 1001 to 2000 inclusive, and the next millennium starts Jan. 1, 2001. So the year 2000 is actually the last year of this millennium!
If that's true, then why is it called the Millennium Bug?
Good question, that is not a good name for it, except for the fact that it sounds "really cool". Also the computer problem is not really caused by the ending of the millennium, but is caused by the ending of the century.
Are the rumors true that say that all home appliances, cars, elevators, and the national power grid will fail on January 1, 2000?
Not really. The Y2K "bug" has been blown way out of proportion. Otis elevator company has stated "To date, we have uncovered no Year-2000 related problems that will affect the safety, operation or reliability of Otis equipment." Dover Elevator says "Because the Dover Elevator controllers are not aware of the actual date, there will be no problem with the year 2000 date change." Some devices may not have the correct date, but there is no evidence or even any reason to believe that any household appliance will become disfunctional because of the "bug". The power-grid is not date-dependent. Computers adjust power by the amount of demand. In the unlikely event that computers were to shut off power, service would be restored very quickly.
I heard that the Federal Reserve is printing millions in reserve money in case there is a run on the banks. Is my money safe?
They are not doing this because they are afraid of what the Y2K "bug" will do, but out of fear of what you will do. The truth is that almost all financial institutions will be ready. Why? Because they will have to be ready to survive; and they know that.
If what you say is true, how come I have heard so much that is contradictory to what you say?
Many people stand to profit from the Y2K hype, including myself. This web site takes advantage of the hype by proclaiming itself to be the "Official Calendar of the Year 2000"... etc., but I refuse to make money on a lie. I have been obsessed with calendars since age twelve. I have been a mostly self-taught computer-programmer since age eleven. I have learned BASIC, C, PC Assembly, Cobol, and Perl languages. After researching and analyzing the facts and opinions that are out there, I feel fairly qualified to say that the problem has been greatly exaggerated.
So who stands to profit?
Computer programmers, "doomsday" writers, Y2K consultants, etc. The fact is that there really is a problem with computers and the year 2000. But it is a correctable problem, that will be mostly corrected in time. That which is not corrected in time will be merely annoying to most of us, not a catastrophe.
Are you saying that nobody should worry about Y2K whatsoever?
No, that's not what I'm saying. This is a serious issue that we all need to look at. But look at it responsibly. Don't believe everything you read; and don't spread rumors. Most likely your toaster will be fine. None of us can predict the future, but we can have a positive effect on it.
The Year 2000 Bug Hoax
Is the Millennium bug real? Does it really have anything to do with the new millennium? Is the problem exaggerated for profit? After viewing this site you might agree, "It's just a number."8 Myths About the Millennium Bug
(http://www.cnet.com/Content/Features/Dlife/Millbug/index.html - no longer active)
Very good information on what problems you might expect as a PC owner, and how to correct them. A more realistic view than from the news media in general.Steve Hewitt
Steve Hewitt is the Editor-in-Chief of a magazine called Christian Computing, and is currently traveling around the United States to promote his optimistic Christian view. I saw Steve's presentation in person on February 18th and I recommend a visit to his site.The Year 2000 Information Center
(http://www.year2000.com/cgi-bin/y2k/year2000.cgi - no longer active)
The Year 2000 Information Center provides a forum for disseminating information about the year 2000 problem, also called the Millennium Bug, and for the discussion of possible solutions.The Year 2000
(http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/pubinfo/leaflets/2000/2000.html - no longer active)
Information about the year 2000, leap years, and the new millennium provided by the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Is the Year 2000 a leap year?The Year 2000 FAQ
(ftp://www.year2000.com/pub/year2000/y2kfaq.txt - no longer active)
Lots of Frequently Asked Questions and their answers about the year 2000 computer crises. Very long plain-text document.Year 2000
(http://www.jedsp.com/y2k/ is no longer related to Y2K)
Professionally done year 2000 site mainly about the Y2K computer crises.The Millennium Institute
(http://www.igc.apc.org/millennium/papers/change.html is no longer active)
Generational Change, Historical Age, Calendar Page - Information on socially coping with the new Millennium.The Prayer Shack
(http://www.geocities.com/~prayershack/y2k.html - no longer active)
A Christian perspective by David Yeubanks. "The main emphasis of my article is on having faith for the future and trusting God. The fact is that no one really knows for sure if Y2k will turn out as many have speculated."Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums
http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/index.cfm - no longer about Y2K)
A pessimistic look at Y2K. "This will create a nightmare for every area of life, in every region of the industrialized world."Power Grid
(Power grid info is gone, but still has Y2K info)
This page gets into some technical detail, and shows how if the power grid were to go down, we could likely just turn it back on.Year Zero Campaign
News and information about the Year Zero Calendar and the Global Era Calendar resolution. Testimonials, FAQ, newsletter, articles, and more.
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