Y2K bug leaps back for 2001

by Mark Benham The Millennium Bug is back and could be heading to a computer screen near you because 2000 was a leap year.

Twelve months after the first threat failed to strike, and with an estimated £1 billion spent on tackling it in Britain alone, it seems the bug may not be beaten.

In a warning that will cause a distinct sense of déjà vu, businesses are being told to anticipate possible meltdown as computer clocks roll over into 31 December.

The Health and Safety Executive says offices closed over the New Year may find a series of problems caused by their computers skipping 31 December and going straight to 1 January.

Confusion over calendar arrangements for leap years means that some software packages do not recognise that 2000 has 366 days. Action 2000 identified 21 packages that could be affected, including Filemaker Pro 3, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Outlook 98.

http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=347300&in_review_text_id=291640

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 29, 2000