Year 2000 problem: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:24, 20 August 2008

Revision as of 13:47, 21 August 2008

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The '''Year 2000 problem''' (also known as the '''Y2K problem''', the '''millennium bug''', the '''Y2KP2K bug''', or simply '''Y2KP2K''') was the result of a practice in early [[computer]] program design that caused some date-related processing to operate incorrectly for dates and times on and after between [[December 31]][[1999]] and [[January 1]], [[2000]] and on other critical dates which were billed "[[event horizons]]". This fear was fueled by the attendant press coverage and other media speculation, as well as corporate and government reports. People recognized that long-working systems could break down when the "...97, 98, 99..." ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organizations world-wide checked and upgraded their computer systems.

While no significant computer failures occurred when the clocks rolled over into 2000, preparation for the Y2K bug had a significant effect on the computer industry. The fact that countries where very little was spent on tackling the Y2K bug (such as [[Italy]] and [[South Korea]]) fared just as well as those who spent much more (such as the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]]) has generated debate on whether the absence of computer failures was the result of the preparation undertaken or whether the significance of the problem had been overstated.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/590932.stm Was Y2K bug a boost? from [[bbc]].co.uk]</ref>