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.

Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Christine Traut who wrote (5489)	4/13/1999 2:03:00 AM
From: B.K.Myers	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9818

Christine, I think that the Microsoft Y2K situation is particularly interesting. It is my understanding that Microsoft is actually a large collection of companies that “integrate” their products together to create the “Microsoft family” (Windows, Office, Internet Explorer). With their level of practiced integration, you would think that they would be better prepared to deal with the Y2K data interface problem. However, look at their products. Different versions of Excel use different windowing periods. Their web page is full of Y2K patches. Mainframe legacy systems are often pointed out as being particularly Y2K error prone. When you think about all of Microsoft's PC legacy systems (BASIC, DOS, Window 3.1, early version of Access and Excel) you realize that there might be as many Microsoft PC based legacy systems with Y2K bugs as there are mainframe legacy systems. Microsoft surely isn't going to have all of their “systems” Y2K ready, let alone Y2K compliant by 2000. If an individual company like Microsoft, with all their experience with data interfaces, can't fix their own system, how can anyone expect all other companies to fix their systems? Microsoft should be accustomed to working as a “team”. Most companies that I have consulted for have limited experience in dealing with their external data interfaces. They seem to have adopted the attitude, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”. I think a lot of people who are running old Microsoft PC legacy systems are in for a rude awaking. I have a couple of small clients that I installed PC based accounting systems for several years ago. I doubt that they have upgraded their systems, it served their purposes just fine. B.K.