Y
Y2K problem
Definition An abbreviation for “year 2000
problem”; also called the millennium bug
Date Expected to occur just after midnight on
December 31, 1999
This problem was a result of traditional computer program-
ming design, which often caused computers to malfunction
in terms of date processing when certain dates occurred.
Specifically, many prognosticators predicted massive com-
puter problems when computers rolled over to 2000.
In the expression Y 2K,Ystands for “year” andkrep-
resents the Greekkilo, for “thousand”; thus,2Krep-
resents 2,000. The gist of the anticipated problem
was a realization that computer programs could stop
working or produce errors because they stored years
with only two digits, so the year 2000 would be repre-
sented by “00” and would be interpreted by software
as the year 1900. This would cause date comparisons
to produce incorrect results. It was also thought that
related systems might fail and cause utilities and
other crucial infrastructure to malfunction.
Computer programmers and analysts spent much
of the late 1990’s debugging and testing systems to
ensure that they would work when December 31,
1999, rolled to January 1, 2000. Authors and writers
on Usenet groups had begun to call attention to the
potential crisis in the mid-1980’s.
A typical software company listed the following
types of programs and systems as likely candidates
for failure: computer networks and software, all work-
station software, engineering and design systems, ac-
counting, payroll and banking, inventory control
and purchasing, order entry and control, vendors,
shipping and receiving, internal processes and pro-
cedures, testing and manufacturing equipment,
telephone systems, time clocks, e-mail and Internet
access, facsimile (fax) systems, security systems, and
HVAC systems. These are major components of al-
most any business, and thus the worries about Y 2K
were many.
Prevention Strategies In 1998, the U.S. government
passed the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Dis-
closure Act. The White House spearheaded much of
the effort, led by the President’s Council on Year 2000
Conversion. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) was also involved. The government
promoted Information Sharing and Analysis Centers
for companies to share information on Y 2K readiness.
The U.S. government felt that outreach to the
public was very important, as well as monitoring, as-
sessment, and contingency planning. This outreach
included Y 2K Web sites, including Y 2K.gov. A publi-
cation calledY2K and Youwas prepared for the gen-
eral public and contained accessible information
about the problem and what people needed to know
prior to January 1, 2000.
Many industries had plans that depended on the
Internet for backup communication. Since no fed-
eral agency had clear authority with regard to the In-
ternet at this time, no agency was assessing the readi-
ness of the Internet itself. Rather close to the dead-
line, on July 30, 1999, the White House held the
White House Internet Y 2K Roundtable, recognizing
the Internet’s indispensability in case of a major com-
munication failure.
In the private sector, insurance companies sold
insurance policies covering failure of businesses due
to Y 2K problems. Survivalist-related businesses—
gun dealers, surplus and sporting goods, Mormon
bookstores selling freeze-dried food—anticipated
increased business in the final months of 1999. The
Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act
limited the liability of businesses that had properly
disclosed their Y 2K readiness.
The travel and hotel industry (as well as travelers)
was concerned about reservation systems, cancella-
tions, and widespread shutdowns while people were
away from home. There were many concerns about
safe travel outside of the United States. It was felt
that overseas public transit systems were vulnerable
because many did not have a suitable response plan
in place for problems.