From: dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: How they're *really* dealing with Y2K. Date: 23 Jan 1998 18:27:10 -0500 Organization: D and D Data, Vienna VA Lines: 49 Message-ID: <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com> Reply-To: dnichols@d-and-d.com NNTP-Posting-Host: izalco.d-and-d.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Path: ccw.ch!aetna.dolphins.ch!news.planetc.com!atl-news-feed1.bbnplanet.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!131.103.1.114!news1.chicago.iagnet.net!iagnet.net!news2.digex.net!digex!news7.digex.net!digex!popocat.d-and-d.com!popocat.d-and-d.com!not-for-mail Y2K in one particular agency. Do you want to know how they *really* are dealing with the impending y2k crisis? Are you *sure*? The story which follows is real. The names are suppressed to protect the innocent. First -- let's set the scene. We are at a Government agency which handles a lot of classified material. There is a High Ranking Military Officer In Charge (subsequently referred to as the HRMOIC). Now this place has computers -- *lots* of them -- of all kinds -- Mainframes (several types), PCs, Macs, Suns, etc.. They're all tied together by an internal network which very carefully does *not* connect to the outside world. Since security is important, everything is controlled by a centralized authentication system. We now join the meeting at the nth attempt to brief the HRMOIC on the consequences of the y2k problem. (Remember that the authentication system *cares* about differences in time between systems. It is running password expiration, so if the system thinks the date is wrong -- you can't get in. :-) Beside this, mere incorrect dates printed on documents are nothing. Subjet of Y2K problems is brought up. HRMOIC says "*That* again. Why do you keep bothering me with it?" Response is to the effect that he dismissed the earlier attempts to discuss it, so it remains a problem. He then says "Get out of here until you can bring me something new." Lower-level personnel leave, and HRMOIC turns to his next level people and asks "What did we do last time this problem came up?" Shocked silence. Who is going to tell the Emperor that he has no clothes? :-) Bear in mind that the HRMOIC is eligible for retirement before y2k actually arrives, and is expected to take it. By then, the next HRMOIC will have far too little time to deal with the problem. Did you *really* want to know this? :-) Enjoy, DoN. -- NOTE: spamblocking on against servers which harbor spammers. Email: | Donald Nichols (DoN.)|Voice (703) 938-4564 My Concertina web page: | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- ###### From: "Chris Nelson" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: How they're *really* dealing with Y2K. Date: 25 Jan 1998 06:45:21 GMT Organization: Triton Technologies, Inc Lines: 43 Message-ID: <01bd295d$1376ebe0$4a6f8ecf@ChrisNelson> References: <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: ppp074.cybersol.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Newsreader: Microsoft Internet News 4.70.1162 Path: ccw.ch!aetna.dolphins.ch!news.planetc.com!newsfeed.usit.net!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!206.250.193.243!newsfeeder.triton.net!news2.triton.net!not-for-mail DoN. Nichols wrote in article <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com>... > Y2K in one particular agency. > > Do you want to know how they *really* are dealing with the impending > y2k crisis? Are you *sure*? > > The story which follows is real. The names are suppressed to protect > the innocent. > [interesting story snipped] > > Lower-level personnel leave, and HRMOIC turns to his next level > people and asks "What did we do last time this problem came up?" > Wasn't that when the Romans turned over the world to the Vandals? > Shocked silence. Who is going to tell the Emperor that he has no > clothes? :-) > > Bear in mind that the HRMOIC is eligible for retirement before y2k > actually arrives, and is expected to take it. By then, the next HRMOIC will > have far too little time to deal with the problem. > Instead of hitting him over the head with it (as I know you would like to do), perhaps someone could remind him that most of his pension will be paid AFTER the year 2000, and if his computer thinks it's really 1900 he'll have to wait awhile. That'll get his interest. [On the other hand, think of the interest he could earn...Don't tell him that!] ###### From: slavins@hearsay.demon.junkguard.co.uk (Simon Slavin) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: How they're *really* dealing with Y2K. Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 23:17:59 +0000 Organization: First Sirian Bank Message-ID: References: <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: hearsay.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: hearsay.demon.co.uk [194.222.24.177] Lines: 17 Path: ccw.ch!aetna.dolphins.ch!news.planetc.com!newsfeed.usit.net!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!hearsay.demon.co.uk!user In article <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com>, dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) wrote: > [snip] Lower-level personnel leave, and HRMOIC turns to his next level > people and asks "What did we do last time this problem came up?" [snip] Last time this came up, the entire armed-forces of the US ended up fighting with bows and arrows. The time before that, the OIC nailed some bloke to a cross, Sir. Simon. -- Simon Slavin -- Computer Contractor. | If I ran usenet, the timestamp for http://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk | anything posted between 2am and 5am Check email address for UBE-guard. | would *blink*. -- Nancy Lebovitz My s/ware deletes unread >3 UBEs/day.| Junk email not welcome at this site. ####### From: Jim Esler Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: How they're *really* dealing with Y2K. Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 11:21:11 -0600 Organization: udev.cdc.com Lines: 18 Message-ID: <34CE1787.5FE@cdc.com> References: <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: heron.udev.cdc.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.0 (Win95; U) Path: ccw.ch!aetna.dolphins.ch!news.planetc.com!newsfeed.usit.net!newsfeed.wli.net!newsfeed.direct.ca!mr.net!news.mr.net!cdshub.cdc.com!not-for-mail Simon Slavin wrote: > > In article <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com>, > dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) wrote: > > > [snip] Lower-level personnel leave, and HRMOIC turns to his next level > > people and asks "What did we do last time this problem came up?" [snip] > > Last time this came up, the entire armed-forces of the US ended > up fighting with bows and arrows. > > The time before that, the OIC nailed some bloke to a cross, Sir. This does point out that the millennium bug is misnamed. It would occur with the rollover at any century mark. How many systems have you seen that use three digits to represent the year? Jim Esler ###### From: dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: How they're *really* dealing with Y2K. Date: 27 Jan 1998 17:37:39 -0500 Organization: D and D Data, Vienna VA Lines: 29 Message-ID: <6alnjj$kqe@izalco.d-and-d.com> References: <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com> <34CE1787.5FE@cdc.com> Reply-To: dnichols@d-and-d.com NNTP-Posting-Host: izalco.d-and-d.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Path: ccw.ch!aetna.dolphins.ch!news.planetc.com!newsfeed.usit.net!newsxfer.visi.net!news.idt.net!streamer1.cleveland.iagnet.net!news1.chicago.iagnet.net!qual.net!iagnet.net!news2.digex.net!digex!news7.digex.net!digex!popocat.d-and-d.com!popocat.d-and-d.com!not-for-mail In article <34CE1787.5FE@cdc.com>, Jim Esler wrote: >Simon Slavin wrote: >> >> In article <6ab90e$d33@izalco.d-and-d.com>, >> dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols) wrote: >> >> > [snip] Lower-level personnel leave, and HRMOIC turns to his next level >> > people and asks "What did we do last time this problem came up?" [snip] >> >> Last time this came up, the entire armed-forces of the US ended >> up fighting with bows and arrows. >> >> The time before that, the OIC nailed some bloke to a cross, Sir. > >This does point out that the millennium bug is misnamed. It would occur >with the rollover at any century mark. How many systems have you seen >that use three digits to represent the year? Agreed -- though it is not clear whether the HRMOIC could make the distinction. :-) Enjoy, DoN. -- NOTE: spamblocking on against servers which harbor spammers. Email: | Donald Nichols (DoN.)|Voice (703) 938-4564 My Concertina web page: | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---