But comparatively little has been said about so-called embedded systems
globeandmail.com
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'Lots of attention has been paid to the corporate world's need to rewrite millions of lines of computer code so its machines won't convulse when the calendar hits 2000.
But comparatively little has been said about so-called embedded systems -- the code built into special-purpose microchips that inhabit just about every modern electronic device. That's why Mr. de Jager, arguably the world's most prominent year 2000 consultant, is brandishing his mythical sword.
The list of embedded systems is as broad as modern civilization: power plants, manufacturing facilities, water and sewage systems, medical devices and military equipment. It also includes planes, trains, automobiles, elevators, phones, microwaves, ships, alarm systems and generally anything that goes buzz or beep.
Software that runs on mainframe computers gets data from a relatively small number of places. If you can find the qualified personnel, it's just a matter of looking at those sources to make sure dating techniques are correct.
But a factory can contain thousands of sensors collecting information, and controlling processes and devices. If some of those sensors shut down or begin feeding bad data into the system, the whole plant could be affected.
Sensors or specialized processors feeding real-time factory floor information into data bases, which are highly sensitive to date glitches, could cause major difficulties.
How widespread is the potential problem?
Technology consultants estimate that more than 90 per cent of the chips manufactured every year go into embedded systems. In 1996, there were four billion chips manufactured, and that number has been rising.
In most cases, the only way to fix the embedded systems is to replace them. Mr. de Jager has created Project Damocles on his World Wide Web site (www.year2000.com) to draw attention to this threat.
Damocles is the mythical Greek figure who was given the king's seat at a banquet, only to find that there was a sword hanging over his head, suspended by a single hair. He was being taught a lesson about the tenuous nature of power.
The sword Mr. de Jager holds is the threat that he will report date-related flaws in embedded systems to attorneys -- presumably to help them establish legal liability -- if the makers of those systems don't fix them.'
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