Others are actually trying to get rich off perhaps the biggest problem in
computers’ short history. There are numerous fake, overpriced, and overrated Y2K
“survival kits” on sale for ridiculous prices. Imagine what would happen if Y2K
did cause major problems, what would the radicals do then? While it is obvious
that many are over-preparing for this potential upcoming problem, the ones that
are paying no attention to it may be in danger. NBC news stated that withdrawing
money from banks is actually a bad idea, as many banks have already converted to
Y2K compliant software, but having necessary items such as a radio, batteries, a
flashlight, and canned food would definitely be a good preparation idea. Even
after clear warnings of the dangers of the Y2K problem, many software companies
and computer manufacturers are simply not addressing it. Lou Marcoccio, year
2000 research director of Gartner Group's Dataquest unit, recently said that 81
percent of all commercially packaged software now sold, for use in everything
from hand-held computers to large mainframes, is not Y2K compliant. This means
that up to 81 percent of all the computers will crash, or have major glitches.
This is completely unacceptable. Even with Y2K approaching quickly, the
government is allowing 81 percent of software sold to be unprepared for the Y2K
bug. The problem was presented as early as the beginning of the nineties, and
nearing the end of the first quarter of 1999, the majority of software will not
recognize the beginning of the new century. Since the invention of computers,
there have been problems. This will never be avoided, but the problems can be
fixed. The year 2000 bug can be fixed, but it is unlikely that it will be
avoided, as ample time is not available. The government is partially to blame
here; they initially ignored the problem, and are now trying to frantically fix
it. But saying that the government is to take the full blame is ignorant, as the
problem was created as a result of many different factors. It is obvious that
this problem has been left alone too long, and now, in a world of panic and
fear, we are trying to get rid of it, with less than a year to complete the
process. This is an unreasonable goal. Never has a problem of this destructive
capability been ignored as it has in the case of the Y2K problem, and saying all
computers will be sound through the next millenium is not true. We reside in a
nation run by computers, and computers are run by a code. This flawed code,
which may actually cause the computer to crash, has been overlooked for nearly a
decade, and the price we may have to pay will be the wrath of Y2K. This is not
saying that civilization may come to an end, or that humans will be forced back
into the forest for years to come, but what it does state, is that Y2K is
coming, and the world may never be the same.
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