(For fair use yaddayaddayadda)

Experts expect many Y2K errors, moderate impact Updated 1:40 PM ET December 13, 1999

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2000 computer glitch will cause many errors in automated systems worldwide but their combined damage will be "moderate," a United Nations-created information clearing house said Monday.

In its final report, the Washington-based, World Bank-funded International Y2K Cooperation Center said most critical systems "will function about as well as they normally do in the first days of the new year."

It said computer errors that stop short of triggering shutdowns will lead to "degraded performance in many infrastructures," such as electricity generation and distribution.

"The world will be well into January before a considered assessment can be made of the medium term effects" of Y2K, the design flaw that could confuse some computers when their clocks roll over to 2000 in 19 days.

"We expect few serious Y2K-caused effects in energy, telecommunications,finance, transportation, customs and immigration, food and water infrastructures" in the first days of next month, the report said.

But it cited a medium to high risk that Y2K-caused errors could adversely affect public health and safety early on, especially in developing countries and in smaller, less-prepared organizations worldwide.

"Life is full of risks," the report said. "Y2K creates additional risks in some areas. Fortunately, the risk from Y2K throughout the world is decreasing as readiness increases."

The Y2K glitch stems from the widespread use of just two digits to represent the year in computer files. Unless older systems have been reprogrammed, they may confuse 2000 with 1900 and shut down or corrupt data.

Bruce McConnell, a former White House information technology expert ontemporary duty as head of the global Y2K center, said the great majority of businesses and governments would experience only limited damage from the bug. "Although there will be many Y2K-caused errors, the combined negative effect of these errors will be moderate," he said in a statement

Nice to know that it'll only be "Moderate" damage. Moderate...hmmm great term that. According to Webster's.com Moderate is listed as " professing or characterized by political or social beliefs that are not extreme or limited in scope or effect"

Isn't it nice that the UN is telling us that the damage will be moderate. Moderate what???Moderate STARVATION? Moderate DEATHS? Moderate FAMINE? Moderate DISEASE/PLAGUE?

When the UN speaks on the potential disaster as a moderate problem, does that mean in relation to the entire world? The very fact that the UN is a worldwide organization, and issues this as a possible indicator of the world events at Y2K, what constitutes a moderate death toll? out of 7 billion people? What is the "acceptable losses" according to the UN? Realistically, there should be no acceptable losses. They, we, I everybody knew this was coming....and we, as a group, as a species, failed to heed the warnings in favor of instant gratification.

Gotta love the spin, as it turns for the worse....

-- Billy Boy (Rakkasan101st@Aol.com), December 13, 1999

Answers

Billy Boy,

Get over it! No matter how you try, you will not make Y2K anything more than is already happening now.

You are just late to the party, if you think you are going to wake anyone up and get them to fix the problem you had better go back to sleep for a few weeks and just wait and see what happens.

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), December 13, 1999.

Billy Boy, yeah, moderate. You know, as in the world isn't going to end or it's not the end of the world. Of course, if you're moderately dead you're still pretty much dead, right?

Mike

who is moderately prepared

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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), December 13, 1999.

I wonder what the 'acceptable casualty rate' is? 10 million? 100 mil? A billion or two? Sheeesh...

Exponential Kook

-- Y2Kook (Y2Kook@usa.net), December 13, 1999.

"Washington-based, World Bank-funded International Y2K Cooperation Center

nuff said

-- keep your money (in@my.safe.dammit), December 13, 1999.

hotlink, url?

-- Chris Byrne (cbyrne98@hotmail.com), December 13, 1999.

This is, of course, completely unverifiable hearsay, but - I was talking with someone who does business in Mexico. He was unable to get the proper documentation as to the amount of taxes he paid, because the system would not accept a date in 2000 (as in paid up until 2000.) This will cause him problems with the IRS.

He said he asked the bankers down there if they could do internation currency transactions in the year 2000, and what they were planning to do. They told him they planned to steal as much as possible and absond to Argentina, because they couldn't handle the year 2000.

Now maybe they were pulling his leg, and maybe somebody has a plan for Mexico, but this didn't encourage me.

-- kermit (colourmegreen@hotmail.com), December 13, 1999.

Oh, sure there won't be any food or water, but that will be local-- like limited to the U.S. or some dinky little country that no one cares about anyway. Get over it, Billy Boy, having electricity and telecom is much over-rated.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 13, 1999.