Lazarre and all,
I have wondered the same thing myself: Why does a modern PC need any software to fix a Y2K problem? I'm a software developer in my day job and it's inconceivable to me that someone who bought a PC in the last year or so, with presumably modern (i.e., Windows-based) applications is going to need/want a Y2K check.
So I called the company today and got transferred to one of their technical people, a nice gentleman by the name of Christopher Faust.
It appears to me that the target PC market for the product is "old" (pre-1996) PCs. I asked him what could possibly happen with an old computer that suddenly flips over to the year 2000? The answer is that the system clock will at first say, "Jan. 1, 2000" but after you turn off the computer and reboot, it will say, "Jan. 1, 1900". The consequence is that if you use MS Word, or any software which can insert a date, it will, of course, insert the wrong date.
Does anyone own a 486 and is willing to test this? Here's what you do: Set your system clock to Dec. 31, 1999 about 11:55pm. Wait the five minutes for the clock to flip over to the year 2000. Check the date/time--it should correctly say year 2000. Now turn off the PC and wait a few minutes. Power up and check the date. Does it say 1900? If so, I'm told Planet City's product can fix your PC.
Personal note: I own shares of this stock mainly on the word that the catalog magazine Programmer's Paradise will carry Planet City's product. For me, Programmer's Paradise has a strong reputation--they do not carry junk.
The company itself, however, gives me a very squishy feeling--not good. I checked out their web page and saw too many vague descriptions some of which struck me as hype. Also, the price tag for this product is apparently going to be in the $30 to $50 range? That much for a glorified utility application is a tad greedy if you ask me. In the header for this thread, it says that 230,000,000 out of 250,000,000 PCs are not Y2K compliant. This appears to me to be an extraordinarily hype-like statement.
I'm still doing research but I regret to say that, at this time, the target market for this product appears to be novice/frightened PC owners who think the CD rom device is a pop-out coffee cup holder. I haven't used the product, however, when a journal like PC Magazine (or similar) writes up their review of the product, we'll really know what we've got here.
So far it doesn't seem like much, but maybe that's because all the PCs around me are relatively new. Still doing DD...
Chris |
