State of Maryland allocates 100M for Y2K
HUGE news item
items in "[]" are edits from me. This comes from Cory Hamasaki, the Y2K COBOL guru/comedian extraordinare of comp.software.year-2000
Newsgroups: comp.software.year-2000
From: kiyoinc@ibm.net (cory hamasaki)
Subject: Hunting Season Opens in Maryland
Date: 29 Aug 97 12:04:16 GMT
Wonderful News! Denial ends in Maryland!
Denial has ended in Maryland, the state with the misfortune of a
land border with the District of Columbia. Virgina is connected by a
half dozen easily defended bridges and one tunnel.
Yesterday, Y2K minus 855 (also known as August 28, 1997 for those who
still use that date method), the Baltimore Sun reported that the state
of Maryland had several truck loads of money for Y2K workers. You have
to bring your own buckets; these are not provided.
They have one hundred million dollars now and promise more later, of
course they do, look at the number 100,000,000.00. Isn't it strangely
round? Why not 109,530,000.00 or 85,400,000.00? It's because they
don't know how much they need, no one does. Just start throwing the
money at us.
In addition, the State's executive board, the governor, comptroller
and treasurer, have promised *not* to review the contracts. Just
sign it, start the work. Just start throwing the money at us.
[...]
[below is excerpts of the Baltimore Sun article posted from
sunspot.com ]
Digital glitch to cost millions
Md. officials agree to spend $100 million to fix computers;
`The Year 2000 problem'; Failure to recognize dates in
next century endangers systems
By Michael Dresser
SUN STAFF
Maryland moved to avert a technological meltdown yesterday as state officials agreed to spend up to $100 million to fix a glitch that threatens to bring the government's computer systems to a halt by 2000.
The money -- half the cost of the Ravens football stadium, or $20 for
every person in Maryland -- will be used to hire contractors for the
dreary task of repairing the 60,000 computer programs the state uses
to perform virtually all the vital functions of government.
[...]
Yesterday's action by the state Board of Public Works came in response to a February task force report that said Maryland was facing serious interruptions in vital services if more resources were not devoted to solving the problem. The study said "time is running out" and that some systems could begin failing before 2000.
[...]
Faced with such nightmare scenarios, the board's members -- Gov. Parris N. Glendening, Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein and Treasurer Richard N. Dixon -- decided to waive their authority to scrutinize each individual contract. Instead, they gave the state's information technology officials fast-track authority to award up to $100 million over five years in contracts to 26 approved vendors.
"There is a real sense of urgency here," said Glendening.
Determining the exact cost of the fix is all but impossible. Early this year, consultants gave the state an estimate of $87.7 million but added that the price tag could go as low as $55 million or as high as $120 million.
[...]
"There's no votes in this right now. This is a purely negative, downside-only issue," said Waverly Deutsch, director of computing strategies for Forrester Research Inc., a consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass.
But woe to the politicians who are in office when pension checks stop going out. "There will be some public hangings with regard to this problem," said Deutsch.
Some opposition candidates are sensing the potential power of the issue. For instance, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey criticized Glendening as "way behind the curve" in coming to grips with the problem.
"It'll emerge as a huge issue if the state doesn't solve the problem," she predicted yesterday.
[...]
Bond said the Comptroller's Office has found that half of its 6,000 programs will require changes. He said the agency, which handles tax returns, has been working on the problem for years and has completed 58 percent of the corrections.
[...]
Originally Published on 8/28/97
[...]
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This made my day. I'm a happy, JCL coding fool again. Who's going to help loot, ah I mean, serve the people of Maryland?
And just wait until Virginia discovers that their geeks are going to Maryland. Oh no you don't! Those are OUR geeks!
And what about when private corporations find that a couple hundred of their king-geeks have quit? Clocks running, a hundred million bucks
is a lot of bait.
Anyone out there still think this is just some hype that computer consultants have dreamed up? If so, please contact the state of Maryland before they spend the money, give them your wisdom.
Those who have had little remarks about how this is an easy problem to solve, I invite you to write and present a proposal to the State of Maryland to solve their problem for a firm fixed price of ten million
dollars.
Just contact Governor Parris N. Glendening, Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein, or Treasurer Richard N. Dixon, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.
Cory Hamasaki |
