Time to ACCELERATE preparations!!

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U.S. Y2K Picture Improves, White House Aide Says

Updated 2:21 AM ET August 5, 1999WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Key U.S. computer systems, including those of the federal government, will be ready for the Year 2000 but the outlook for local systems is ixed, President Clinton's top Y2K trouble-shooter said Thursday.

In a draft of his third quarterly report on U.S. readiness, John Koskinen, head of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, said the council had a "high degree of confidence" in the Y2K-compatibility of U.S. financial, electric power, telecommunications, air travel and federal government systems.

"The federal government will be ready for the date change," he said. Y2K readiness means updating computer code to recognize the "00" in two-digit date fields as 2000 and not 1900. It also includes contingency planning.

The council said it remains concerned about the uneven record of some U.S. localities, health care facilities and school districts, many of which "could move into the new millennium with dysfunctional" computer systems.

Koskinen said prospects for computers that regulate international maritime traffic were also mixed, citing questions surrounding some ports and foreign flagged ships.

Without citing specific examples, he said some developing nations were likely to suffer Y2K-related disruptions in key infrastructure systems, including electric power.

Koskinen said the United States was in a much better position to cope with the date change than it was only a few months ago, thanks to the billions of dollars being spent on upgrades, testing and contingency planning.

"But it is also clear that much work remains to be done," he said.

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-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), August 05, 1999

Answers

This is called the BLAME GAME

The council said it remains concerned about the uneven record of some U.S. localities, health care facilities and school districts, many of which "could move into the new millennium with dysfunctional" computer systems.

Look for more of the same until the end. I wonder how "dysfunctional computer systems" and "jittery consumers" get along?

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), August 05, 1999.

"I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky" President Clinton says....

-- br14 (br14@bout.done), August 05, 1999.

See also:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001C2q

where an AP article, same date, says 2/3 of 911 centers and 28 percent of schools are NOT ready.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), August 05, 1999.

"Y2K readiness means updating computer code to recognize the "00" in two-digit date fields as 2000 and not 1900. It also includes contingency planning."

So being 'ready' includes both stuff that is fixed, and stuff that is not fixed (not fixed is what contingency plans are for).

Therefore, the fact that they shall do something at all when the code breaks is counted as being ready for Y2k, and hence contributes to the improved picture.

-- Spanky (nospam@spamfree.net), August 05, 1999.