On the other hand, Y2K should be recorded as the most colossal blunder in the history of engineering. It is colossal in the sense that there were so many billions of instances of the oversight committed by so many millions of designers. I think that the record shows that the establishment did not become aware and react adequately to fix the Y2K problem until after the end-of-the-world kooks embraced Y2K and made it a public issue. Whether the establishment would have reacted in time without the external stimulus is a question for historians to decide.

We professionals, managers, engineers, programmers, and teachers should hang our heads in shame. We collectively overlooked the biggest common cause failure ever, one whose calamitous consequences are inestimable. With a couple of exceptions, notably Bill Schoen and Peter de Jager, we failed to detect our error in time to be sure that we could fix it before the deadline with a comfortable safety margin. By and large, it was the Chicken Littles rather than the Paul Reveres who should be credited with saving the world.

Diversity as Defense

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 05, 1999

Answers

Are you admitting that the world has in fact been saved?

-- Trollyanna (r@t.com), August 05, 1999.

Dear Empty-headed Trollyanna: there are more kinds of people in the world than Pollyannas and Doomsters. Before you post again, please turn on your brains. Thank you.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 05, 1999.

Lane,

Nice post, and yes, you are feeling ornery today. ;-) But hey, you have been so very level headed and cautious about this whole thing for so long now that you have earned the right to "Milne" it just a bit!

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), August 05, 1999.

How do I stop this bleeding?

-- Trollyanna (r@t.com), August 05, 1999.

Thanks Lane!

I really enjoyed the read. Along the lines of what to do after Y2k.

Best Regards,

-- Tom McDowell (bullriver@montana.com), August 05, 1999.

Lane,

I just want to thank you for your contributions (particularly on the Westergaard site). You are a real voice of reason, and your *exceptionally* astute analysis is a pleasure to read after the reams of articles I've read which take the "planes-won't-fall-from-the-sky" variety.

Sean

-- Sean Fitzgerald (seanfitzgerald1@hotmail.com), August 05, 1999.

Trollyanna:

Try a warm bath; it should stop in about 10 minutes.

Dano

-- Dano (bookem@blacksand.srf), August 05, 1999.

Thank you very much, Sean.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 05, 1999.

Lane

As a non tech person but one that has looked into the meaning of time for the last 25 years it seems to me there is a void in the understanding of many that timing is everything. This to me is the fault of the education system all the way up to the structure of western society. The get rich quick, instant gratification nonsence that is fed into folks minds from all angles.

Y2K to me is a glaring example of how society has got to change in this manner or it will be changed regardless. Chaos theory should be drummed into folks heads from an early age. Time rules. Everything that has been taught about how we view the natural order is wrong.

For example few would understand the concept that time moves in both directions and the implications. EPR experiment in France 1982. Heavy stuff. Heavy implications.

Also what goes up must come down. The definitive Strange Attractor.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), August 05, 1999.

"We professionals, managers, engineers, programmers, and teachers should hang our heads in shame."

I am programmer. Every program without exception which I have written since 1992 has been Y2K compliant. I know because I double checked EVERY SINGLE date call to make sure it was. I have personally worked on four different Y2K projects, trying to get rid of other peoples date bugs. Why should I hang my head in shame - I am very proud of the work I've done.

-- a_programmer (a@programmer.com), August 06, 1999.

Oui oui, Bri-yan.

-- Alain Aspect (somewehere@somewhen.com), August 06, 1999.

I am very proud of the work I've done.

But not proud enough, apparently, to use your name here.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 06, 1999.