npub1dfj9ax4n7jjmuf4n62p7agzu0tne2hkrr2u4nyrxkfyq96syv4nsxfgpm4 (npub1dfj…gpm4) As someone who personally discovered and fixed Y2K bugs that would have had significant real world impact, it is disturbing to hear someone propagate this myth [that it was a "big fuss about nothing"]. And it is a myth.
This is what really happened:
https://time.com/5752129/y2k-bug-history/
The testing methodology insured that these impacts were not hypothetical. At my company, the testing was performed by actually rolling the clock forward to test systems to see what would happen. For example, I discovered that every ATM in the state of Alaska operated by my company would have locked up until a PROM chip was swapped. Someone had to fly all over the state to proactively swap the chip beforehand, to avoid significant customer impact.
And that was just one story. I personally oversaw investigation and fixes for other hardware and software at that company that would have failed.
And that was just my company. I spoke with others in IT at that time with similar stories. And that was just the people I knew.
So no, it wasn't "a big fuss about nothing" - and saying so is both dangerously revisionist, and disrespectful of the work it took to prevent real impacts.
#Y2K
Royce Williams /
npub1l4…kte68
2023-12-30 16:05:23
Author Public Key
npub1l4uw5jf7geh9gq658wjsga0g4nrez4l28w45yw6n77q238yjgglqykte68Published at
2023-12-30 16:05:23Event JSON
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"content": "nostr:npub1dfj9ax4n7jjmuf4n62p7agzu0tne2hkrr2u4nyrxkfyq96syv4nsxfgpm4 As someone who personally discovered and fixed Y2K bugs that would have had significant real world impact, it is disturbing to hear someone propagate this myth [that it was a \"big fuss about nothing\"]. And it is a myth.\n\nThis is what really happened: \nhttps://time.com/5752129/y2k-bug-history/\n\nThe testing methodology insured that these impacts were not hypothetical. At my company, the testing was performed by actually rolling the clock forward to test systems to see what would happen. For example, I discovered that every ATM in the state of Alaska operated by my company would have locked up until a PROM chip was swapped. Someone had to fly all over the state to proactively swap the chip beforehand, to avoid significant customer impact.\n\nAnd that was just one story. I personally oversaw investigation and fixes for other hardware and software at that company that would have failed.\n\nAnd that was just my company. I spoke with others in IT at that time with similar stories. And that was just the people I knew.\n\nSo no, it wasn't \"a big fuss about nothing\" - and saying so is both dangerously revisionist, and disrespectful of the work it took to prevent real impacts.\n\n#Y2K",
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