Real thought provoking commentary on Gary North's web site (www.garynorth.com) today, as we approach the holidays. I thought that the reference to who is actually making the money off of Y2K fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) to be especially on target. Here is the link.

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), December 22, 1998

Answers

Jack, I especially like...

They do not like to be called fools. They will do anything to defer the day of reckoning -- the day of their universal exposure as fools - - for another 12 months. If this costs Western civilization everything, because resources will not be spent to move institutions back to paper-and-pen systems, well tough bananas for Western civilization. The important thing is that programmers and managers save face for another 12 months.

Sounds like Washington, D.C. as well as corporations.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 22, 1998.

But programmers aren't really making out that well with Y2K. They normally get $150/hour, not just for Y2K stuff. And most fixes are done with automated tools. I can't imagine going through a million LOC to look for dates. Every application group in our company used analysis, conversion and test tools for Y2K fixes. Only a small fraction can not be handled by these tools and needed to be done manually. So if you were insightful and developed a tool you made big bucks. Some cost as much as $100,000.

Troll Maria

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 22, 1998.

Wow Diane!! We actually agree on something!! (besides Y2K IS a problem). I find it a mark of intelligence to put the puzzle pieces together between how corporations, the Clinton Administration and ITT managers are demagoguing ANYONE who threatens their applecart of control and power.

It's called the Zeitgeist. It permeates EVERYTHING today. Truth is the enemy. Truth is irrelevant. It is EXTREME. Those that profess so- called Truth (Y2K or otherwise) are FUDS, and need to be silenced.

Those that demand standards and awareness of the problem are FUDS. Those that demand accountability of those in power for mismanagement are dangerous.

What RIGHT do you have to question their motives in providing security and stability to your way of life? Don't you know that they know what's BEST for you? Now shut up and go away to your enclave somewhere. We are the good, and the right. Don't question it, just accept it and everything will be O.K.

We need to stop the politics of personal destruction. Now shut up about those that have dropped their responsibilities, or we'll attack your own credibility.

The Zeitgeist groweth.

-- INVAR (gundark@aol.com), December 22, 1998.

Read this out LOUD (before you read it to yourself):

I am we todd it

I am sofa king we todd it

If you do not understand it read it the second time, louder!

-- from Fuddism (notbusy@work.net), December 22, 1998.

# # # 19981222

Troll Maria:

I don't know _where you got that $150/hour programmer rate from? That's $300,000/year! It just ain't so! A run-of-the-mill senior programmer ( with a degree ) averages about $60,000-80,000/year! I turned down ( a "mission impossible" Y2K project manager position ) that offered $150/hours in MI ).

[ I'll come out of retirement for you at $100/hour, any day! ] ;-)

The best Y2K tools on the market catch somewhere between 80-95% of the target dates in source code. Human ( eyeball ) inspection is required. ( Shops that don't ... well, cringe! ) EACH and EVERY LOC must be inspected, line, by line, by line ...

Each ( 4 ) of the Y2K projects I have toiled at over the past 2 years, required manual inspections of every LOC! Never used automated tools after evaluating many of them. It wasn't cost/risk justified.

Furthermore, there is NEVER date computation and/or comparison ( other than equlities ) coded that isn't considered MISSION CRITICAL. ( Think about that, for a moment! ) Unlike the example of 45,000 ( cosmetic, non-critical--Y2K notwithstanding ) errors in the Windows 95 release--amidst millions and millions of LOC--EVERY DATE COMPUTATION IS SPECIFIED FOR A PURPOSE! No?!

Idiots that don't grasp this fundamental concept--the ignorant, ignoramouses, management, bureaucrats, politicians, et al--will continue the campaign of Y2K Zeitgeist as long as they can get away with it in their "polls."

Y2K has no regard for polls or opinions. It is ubiquitous and pernicious to virtually all legacy business and controller system in existence.

I agree, entirely, with Gary North's assessment. See? You don't have to be a programmer to understand the economics and chutzpah of the cited, Y2K charlatans.

The only Y2K FUD factor I am seriously concerned with, is a couple of innocent billions of folks "Getting It" over the next 12 months!

Regards, Bob Mangus # # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), December 22, 1998.

Yeah, as unbelievable as it sounds, I worked for an insurance company that didn't even blink in handing out that kind of money for something that needed to be done.

Tools do need some inspection but to inspect every line is not viable.

And Bob, get a grip, not every line is mission critical. In my department, code which keeps customer service happy is more critical than the code that performs billing. If businesses thought that every line was mission critical, ROI wouldn't exist.

Troll Maria

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 22, 1998.