Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: gnuman who wrote (61935)	6/10/1999 9:39:00 AM
From: BGR	Respond to of 132070

If date comparisons between before and beyond Y2K were successful in a system, the code doing the comparison is by practise Y2K compliant. It's really about the definition and not the data. The Y2K problem happems because 2 digits are used for the year part instead of 4. Given that programs rarely use separate variables to hold dates before and after a certain year, let's assume that the same variable is used to hold dates like 1-1-1999 and 1-1-2001. Now, when there is a comparison done between two such dates, it will succeed if 4 digits have been used, else give an incorrect result. There are no other possibilites. Now, if the comparison has succeeded, there really has no other choice than to conclude that the comparison code is Y2K complaint. You may want to run this explanation by Wayne.

To: gnuman who wrote (61935)	6/10/1999 12:36:00 PM
From: benwood	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 132070

The Y2K problem is any problem caused by a computer's misinterpretation of the two-digit date "00" (that is, the year is stored in two digits, not four). That includes looking forward, looking backward, looking sideways. Specifically, if a computer doesn't recognize that "00" is the year following "99" then a Y2K bug exists (and Y3K and Y4K etc. for that matter). It doesn't matter when the actual misinterpretation occurs, just that it occurs solely because of the use of a two-digit date code. I believe that only about 20-25% of the actual problems that can occur will occur on Jan 1, 2000. About 60-70% will occur before then, and the rest after. For example, Y2K problems turned up in credit card usage a couple years ago but most (but probably not all) have now been resolved (look at your expiration date and you'll see why). BTW, many systems being "fixed" are actually being fixed by shifting the bug from the year 2000 to the year 2030 or 2070 (I forget which). The assumption is, once again, that those systems (or algorithms) will be gone by that time.