Question for IT staff. My answer, I'm currently testing the FI Recruitment Resume system, used to hold details of CV to match against client job requirements. It is their principal business system. The y2k version has just been delivered, I am now in the process of comparing the old version with the new (regression testing) then will proceed to y2k testing. Next will be the systems used to pay (via bank account credit) and do invoicing/accounting for FI contractors and "associates". Trouble is neither of them are ready, still awaiting suppliers, its getting very late. They're needed to be up and running by 04/99 when they will fail.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 11, 1998

Answers

Y2K CANNOT BE FIXED!

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 11, 1998.

Y2K CANNOT BE FIXED!

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 11, 1998.

Richard,

I am a project manager for a software development firm which has just completed our Y2K remediation efforts for the software package we develop and market for managed-care organizations. It performs the standard processing functions necessary for any HMO to function on a day-to-day basis: claims, authorizations, membership, billing, capitation, etc. We performed three levels of testing concluding with a "millennium" test where we ran a full regression test of all functionality on an independent box with the system date starting at 12/1/99. Then we tested continually every day simulating real life data and allowing the date to advance naturally across year 2000 through to 1/31/00. Then we manually advanced the date through the other critical dates (2/29/00, 10/10/00, 12/31/00 and 01/01/01) performing regression tests with each step. We worked out a few dozen glitches and now have software package that we can offer with confidence to new customers along with patches necessary to make all of our existing customers Y2K safe.

At present, our software is running in HMO's that cover over 3 million lives. Not huge, but not small potatoes either. Since our software is based in Open M (mumps), fixing the date problems took less than a year once Open M issued a compliant release and Unix completed their fixes for their operating system. We hope to take advantage of many opportunities as customers using our competition's software realize the time and money involved with fixing and testing so many lines of COBOL.

Here's one who's hoping for opportunity in the midst of the storm.

David

-- David (David@BankPacman.com), November 11, 1998.

Posting here.

Jack, bro, love it!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 11, 1998.

Thanks David, its interesting to compare the positive tone of your posting compared with Jack's and Diane's. Y2k is all about personalities when it comes down to it. Hopefully David your company will clean up in y2k.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 12, 1998.

Right, sure, Diane and I are so alike in so many things. There is a liking for Starbucks coffee. Then, there is ... uh ... well ... uh ... well, I like the "traditional" flavor of Starbucks coffee. No cream, sugar, or guardian angels, thank you....

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 12, 1998.

Judging by the lack of answers no-one is doing much, at least on this forum.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 13, 1998.

Richard,

I suspect that you're right. For my part, I'm not doing anything. One of my immediate family members (as referred to elswhere) is a COBOL programmer for a trucking company and is deep into a "death march" scenario to try to "fix" Y2K. There's simply no time left in a day for them to even read this forum, let alone post.

Y2K is only tenuously related to the specifics of my business and although I appear to have a lot of time to spend here, I am simply multiplexing with my other tasks. Senator Bennett (yes, the Y2K one) made his money with a company called, Franklin Quest, which teaches time management. I consider myself very fortunate to have had that training and find that it works well, if you exercise the self discipline required.

At one point in a previous life, I worked final system test for a manufacturer of IBM compatible mainframes. There were testing days where I would play "Star Trek" for 8 hours a day and you don't want to know how much they paid me to do it!

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), November 13, 1998.

Richard,

I opened my big mouth at a Y2K committee meeting at my company 2 weeks ago. I told them I thought their schedule for solving the problem was way behind and that someone should be put on the project full-time. I gave them facts from Gartner's testimony to Bennett's committee and posted my Y2K bookmarks on the public network drive. Our COO decided I should the full-time project person. I am now project co-manager and lead analyst.

I was very surprised to find that my company, a 180 year old non-profit standards-setting organization, did not have this problem well in hand. We are still in the inventory phase! But I am speeding that up. We have already started some remediation. I was in a meeting yesterday where I found out that the contractor working on remediating our finance system was graciously willing to move his deadline up to June 1999 from October! The chief accountant wasn't worried about the October date! The accountant still isn't aware that the contractor must get this done before July 1! It's a long story, so I won't give anymore details. Suffice it to say that I will be very busy for the next 13 months.

-- Buddy (DC) (buddy@bellatlantic.net), November 13, 1998.