Hi to everyone, Robert, Donna, Arnie, hardliner, even unk and catsy hope all are well. Have just found out that Southern Electric are only making 20% of their business software compliant (the mission critical applications) deadline Sept 1999. Did not want to ask about what happens to the other 80%.

Anyone know of other companies who have given up the pretence of full compliance.

My prediction 5-10% of businesses will go under (unless they're monopolies, local or otherwise. PS this is Judith's EM address.

-- Sir Richard of the Dale (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), February 26, 1999

Answers

PSI meant Southern Electric in the UK.

-- Sir Richard (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), February 26, 1999.

Sir Richard! Oh my gosh! Where in the heck have you been?

And you bring with you such sad tidings....S. California Edison is still doing the "all is well" dance as far as I know. (sigh)

I'm so glad to see a post from you, I'll be smiling all day! :-)

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), February 26, 1999.

When reading compliancy schedules or completions for government agencies and many private companies, IMHO it is a fairly safe bet they are only talking "mission critical." Sometimes it is clear, other times it is not. From my personal assessment, I think it is pretty much a foregone conclusion since last summer at least, that it is too late for complete remediation, just focus on mission critical and contingency plans. I'm sure I've read this in statements by Bennett and others and will look through some specific links of quotes to follow up.

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), February 26, 1999.

Gee, Richard, thats real upsetting. An electric utility's business software is not going to be nearly ready for Y2K. Did they offer some kind of reason for this, like maybe they figured by allocating resources towards fixing Y2K on the power generation side of their business, they could actually keep electricity flowing in Year 2000?

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), February 26, 1999.

Welcome Back, Sir Richard of the Dale! We were so beworried bout your long absence, eMailed you some time back. Now we'all get some more rhymin. Cheers!

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), February 26, 1999.

I'm sure within the text of the CSIS conference last summer there is more on the "too late" category, but here's a snippet with link for those who haven't read this before.

The Y2K Crisis: A Global Ticking Time Bomb? Center for Strategic and International Studies

"If you're part way through it, you can make your own priority choices and say, "This is what we have to do." Or you can discover that you cannot get it fixed in the next 18 months, and so you can begin to spend 18 months developing contingency plans that will see to it that you will at least not shutdown. So the size of it is still very much in question. The inevitability of it is not." - Senator Bennett

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), February 26, 1999.

Richard! Welcome back! We've missed you. I hope this means we'll get an occasional song or two.

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), February 26, 1999.

Richard!

What a delightful surprise on an otherwise gloomy Friday! I surely hope that you will stick around for a while.

To answer your question, it looks to me that AT&T and Chevron have pretty much admitted the same, although not by intention and the US federal government is still spinning its tales of fantasy, so who knows what the story there is?

Anyway, yes!, how about some rhymes? And, how about some current perspective on what's happening in merrie old England?

Once more--it's GREAT to hear from you again!

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), February 26, 1999.

Welcome back!

OH LORD! The CIRCUS is in DEEP TROUBLE!!!

Chuck

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), February 26, 1999.

Hey Richard! Glad to see you too :-) I hope this is not just another quick dip on the forum and disapearing act again like you did a couple months ago, I miss you're offbeat brit humor and wit ;-)

Have you done some catching up on the forum? A lot has been happening, read up on Senator Bennett's report and the CIA global predictions threads; Here's the Knight Ridder story on the Senate report and this one; USA Today: good article on CIA and Senate y2k reports

Awareness here in the USA has picked up quite a bit on the news media, and the tone is much more serious. Koskinen et al have stepped up their disinformation spin at the same time.

Let us in on what's going on in the UK too please!

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), February 26, 1999.

If they are (at this point) admitting that they will be "20%" compliant - damn, what are the 80% of their computer systems used for? - at least they have:

1) admittted there is a Y2K problem that will affect themselves and their product (in this case, electricity and business processes.)

2) admitted there is a BIG problem (not a trivial one) and have gotten the BIG BOSS's attention - so much so they (corporately) can admit that will not be able to solve everything. nor will they be able to sweep all of the residual troubles under the "corporate carpet" and keep it from public eye.

3) admitted that the IMPACT of the problem is so great that they MUST solve certain critical systems - or go out of business, out of service. This latter step pushes the impact into the boardroom - and so helps insure that at least parts of the company are working on it.

4) All of the above helps ensure that the problem will get better attention - and the combination of all 4 effects means you now actually have a better chance of power than if they claimed 100% compliance by 1 September.

This won't mean you have power, and it won't mean they will bill you for the right amount of money - but it indicates to me that you are in better shape than a customer of a company that won't admit their true status.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.R@csaatl.com), February 26, 1999.

Hey Richard!

We've barely been able to hold this Y2K "thing" together without you!

Welcome back!!!!

Basically, near as I can tell the whole planet is focusing on "mission critical" and constantly re-defining "what" that means. (Does not look good).

According to great Yourdonite reporters, Pam and Mitchell, attending the State of California's Y2K assessment meeting a couple days ago, CA is in very DEEP trouble!

For Silicon Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area, including most of Northern California, our local electric utility PG&E (Profit, Greed & Excuses) WILL NOT even guarantee Intel Corporation that they will have power. Intel fer gosh sakes!!

Camping coming up soon. Globally.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 26, 1999.

Sir Richard of the Dale,

I was wondering if you could give me some sort of perspective from your vantage point.

We live just outside Washington, D.C. Very risky if this gets bad. My husband has parents that own a small farm in Yorkshire and we have decided to be there if we can at the end of the year.

It is very difficult to get any information about the UK. I have so many questions, but won't ramble on.

Any enlightenment you can provide me would be very much appreciated.

You can email me direct if you prefer.

-- Carol (usa-uk@email.com), February 26, 1999.

Welcome back, Richard! I was asking after you just a few days ago, miss those limmericks.

No info on who's giving up around here. I'm surprised that *any* company would dare to admit it - I'd expect it to play havoc with their stock price!

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), February 26, 1999.

Hi,thanks for all your good wishes, especially Di (i do mean it!) also special greetings to Donna (a wonderful being). The info. was told to me at an interview (honest its true) not a public statement. Y2k has gone a bit quiet over here (at least in the computer press), still getting happy face predictions from "action 2000" about government agency compliance. I wonder what they do with the other 80% of their systems as someone mentioned. I've been diverting my composing into music recently just little ditties, don't know why haven't ever done so before, however now I'll have to contribute some verse and worse to the forum. Watch this space.

Hopefully the trolls have gone.

Its great to be in contact with the forum again.

Why did I ever go away (hefty slap on wrist, or even self flagellation )is needed in punishment for my gross neglect of the forum.

I'll keep you informed of any developments in the UK.

-- plain old rich (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), February 27, 1999.

Thanks hardliner, yes having outdone me on the verse front, says he gritting teeth, i'll have to come up with some exceptional offerings....

-- rich (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), February 27, 1999.

WHO IS thIs jaCkaL????? hE IS ThE INfIdEL WHO StARtED THe INSaNE RHyMInG AND GeNEraL FOoLISHNESS HERE, IS he nOt????? hyEna!!!! WHy DOes diETer FEeL A DeEp seATed neED TO EXPOsE HIs fOoLISHnESS anD SKullmUCKEry????? whY Has thiS deVil retURNED To hAUnt DIeTer????

arE NoT ROsES RED????

ARe noT VIoLETs blUE????

if THe FOolish bid yOu welCOMe

MUst diEter toO?????

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), February 27, 1999.

welcome, richard! missed those limericks! were you writing that y2k book?

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), February 27, 1999.

DIeteR itS QuiTe HArd TOtype like THis, STICK TOLOWER CASE PLSE

-- rick of the dale (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), March 01, 1999.