The Rise of the Y2K Bug

A detailed Summary of The Rise of the Y2K Bug

"The Y2K problem is the electronic equivalent of the El Niño and there will be nasty surprises around the globe."--John Hamre, Dep. Secretary of Defense

When I was in the first grade, my elementary school invested in several computers and started Introduction to Computers classes. I remember playing math games and drawing with art programs, in awe of, and slightly intimidated by the beastly piece of technology in front of me. I had little idea of how it worked, and even less of an idea of what was in store. Over the years, the technological world has advanced rapidly, and humans have come to rely on computers for just about every aspect of daily life--from education, to communication, to banking, to electricity, we depend on technology. The Y2K "bug" seems to be a vicious reminder that our technology is just a tangled connection of imperfect, haphazard systems we have come to let run our lives.

The Year 2000, or Y2K problem is caused by a "shortcut" imbedded into many computers and microchips. In the 1960s, to conserve what was then precious and expensive memory space, computer programmers shortened the four-digit year to

use a much more economical two-digit method--for example, 78 would mean 1978. Unfortunately, computers and microchips that still use a two-number year will recognize 00 as the year 1900, not as 2000. When using data involving dates, the problem will cause failures in arithmetic, and can corrupt databases with incorrect information. These types of calculations are necessary in systems involving administrative information, scheduling, and billing. A statement issued by the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion states: This [Y2K bug] could cause [computers] to either shut down or generate incorrect data. In our electronic information-dependent society, that could be a big problem."

At the time the two-digit year was first used in computer programming, no one addressed or was prepared for a problem when the year 2000 rolled around, because, like today, technology was advancing and changing quickly. Computer programmers assumed that the two-digit year would eventually be changed and become obsolete. This, obviously, did not happen. In many cases, the older applications that use the two-digit method have been built on, and are bur

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Approximate Word count = 773
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Technology

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The Rise of the Y2K Bug

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