January 1, 2000: the day the computers died. (Solutions: Year 2000)(includes related product-directory table) (Technology Information)

EDITOR'S NOTE

Perhaps you'd prefer to just stick your head under the pillow and sleep through the Year 2000 nightmare. But there are other options, and Robert shows you what they are. For further help, check out the Year 2000 Product Directory, beginning on page 49.

As we advance toward the millennium, industry experts predict gloom and doom for major corporations who fail to address the Year 2000 issue. Meanwhile, VPs and IS Managers are desperately trying to convince senior management and board members to allocate the resources needed to bring systems up to Year 2000 compliance, as a multitude of vendors line up to prescribe their magic potion solutions. What is the Year 2000 issue, and how can you avoid being victimized? In this article, I simplify some of the major issues involved.

The scenario

On the morning of Monday, January 3, 2000, the legions of computer users around the globe will struggle into work, blurry-eyed from the weekend's festivities, and make their way to their desks to boot-up their computers for the first time in the new century. If the predictions of industry pundits are correct, these users could be in for a disastrous experience. Accounts receivable systems will send out letters of appreciation to customers previously considered delinquent. Hundreds of thousands of minus-six year-old boys and girls will enter the first grade, and insurance policies due for renewal will be magically reinstated.

In biblical terms, this represents Armageddon for the computer industry, except the battle won't be fought in the desert or on the ocean, but in the hundreds of thousands of computer rooms and MIS departments across the globe.

The battle will be to restore the integrity to millions of computer programs that suddenly have to …