Short Stuff

Computer experts predict that the year 2000 will wreak havoc in all aspects of society that deal with computers. The reason is that 90% of computer program applications are dependent on the correct date being recorded. However, computers are programmed to deal with only the last two digits in a year (19XX). At 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2000 computers will put 00 behind 19 and assume it is the year 1900. Government agencies could quit sending benefits to 65-year-olds because the computer will read their age as -35 (1900 minus their birth year). Airplanes could be grounded because computer records will show they have had no maintenance for 100 years. Banks could send out foreclosure notices by the millions. The reason programmers didn't use a four-digit date field is that in the early 1980s when these systems were being developed, memory was very expensive and it took considerable memory to program another two digits to every date field. The expense of upgrading the US software for the new century, however, is estimated at $50-75 billion.--
Washington Post Weekly

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