...can't we move this to a chat room or something. A conference call perhaps. Why don't we all meet on neutral grounds somewhere? Don't you guys sleep, eat, etc. Trying to keep up with the posts is like a Y2K programming death march. Maybe you guys could (in your spare time)learn COBOL..lets see uhhh...Identification Division, Data Division, Procedure Division.....uhh....damn, maybe I should learn COBOL.

MVI

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), December 10, 1998

Answers

A chat room would be a good idea.

Failing that, does anyone else have ICQ?

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), December 10, 1998.

I use IRC, IRCle for Mac, PC ppl use mIRC or pIRCh. Is there a Y2K channel? Maybe the techies can create the Yourdonhood channel? That would be cool!

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), December 10, 1998.

Talk City has a Y2K chatroom.

The IRC particulars are:

IRC Server: chat.talkcity.com Port : 6667

The chatroom is called (appropriately enough) #Y2K

This is a very well run IRC net. Virtually none of the usual "chat" garbage so often seen on other chat systems.

Dan

-- Dan (DanTCC@Yahoo.com), December 10, 1998.

I sent a note to Ed Yourdon, suggesting he split the Forum into about 10 categories.

A got an automated reply to his note, basically telling me he's getting 300 e-mails a day now, and you think he's gonna have time to read it? I'd say there's a better chance of frosty weather in the underworld.

I'll repost my e-mail to Ed at the top level here and see if we can solicit enough "noise" to get one of his "techies" to respond.

-- Glen Austin (gdaustin@aol.com), December 10, 1998.

Glen, read the rest of the note. He DOES answer. Ask MVI

chuck

-- Chuck a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), December 11, 1998.

It has been my experience that trying to discuss any serious issue, in depth, in a chatroom, is an exercise in futility. At least it is depressingly unsatisfying to me. Newsgroups or mailing lists remain my prefered method of disquisition on topics of merit, including Y2K. I find it superior to even face-to-face discussion. The arguments CAN be more thoughtful and substantiated with accurate quotes, evidence and background material. YMMV

Hallyx

"What we think is mostly wrong. But what we know is right."---Oskar Heinroth

-- Hallyx (Hallyx@aol.com), December 11, 1998.

Agree with Halyx. Plus, posting allows one to think longer before opening one's trap. The pressure to quickly hit the enter key is not as great.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), December 11, 1998.

Chat room works only for a limited number of people agreeing to meet regularly at what amounts to an assigned time - like an interactive classroom (some of my Master's classes were done over the Internet - even then it was sometimes difficult to get a "quorum" - and we were getting graded based on participation. )

The advantage of a thread is that people can "chat" over an extended period of time. Difficulty is refresh rate. Best - "running" discussions in a chat room? But that is so @#$%^&*( addictive.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 11, 1998.

I'll second that Robert, also, I have the older pc and I cant get into chats as most have the "java" whatever that is.....Hey guess I'm as old as my computer? too dog gone cheap to upgrade the sucker afraid it wont work anyhow in 2000. Already did the 'test' it is non compliant as am i to upgrade a system which wont run no how.

-- consumer (private@aol.com), December 11, 1998.

Glenn, give him a couple days. He has returned 2 of my emails.

MVI

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), December 11, 1998.

thirds on what Mr. Cook said. A chat room won't alleviate fatigue, it'll just add to it. IMHO

People can sure get addicted even to forums such as this....even more so to real-time forums such as chat (been there, done that)

Point to keep in mind always, is that time spent online is time not spent interacting with real people in the real world, face to face...has to be a healthy balance

-- John Howard (Greenville, NC) (pcdir@prodigy.net), December 15, 1998.