Solving the Year 2000 Software Problem : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee on Science and the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight

Excerpt from Solving the Year 2000 Software Problem: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee on Science and the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight U. S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Con

Most computer systems in use today can only record dates in a two-digit format for the year. Under this system, computers will fail to Operate properly when years after 1999 are used, because the year 2000 is indistinguishable from 1900. This problem could have a serious impact on a wide range of activities that use computers. Information systems must be inspected, and modified, if necessary, before January I, 2000 to avoid major system malfunctions.

Many managers initially doubted the seriousness of this problem, assuming that an easy technical fix would be developed. Several independent research firms, however, have refuted this view, With the conclusion that inspecting all computersystems, converting date fields where necessary and then testing modified software will be a very time-consuming and costly task. Research firms predict that due to a lack of time and resources, the majority of us. Businesses and government agencies will likely not fix all Of their computer systems by the start of the new millennium. Most agencies and businesses have come to understand the difficulties involved, although some have not yet started implementing changes. Several companies have emerged Offering services to work on year-2000 conversion, and software analysis products are commercially available to assist with finding and converting flawed software code.

Federal agencies are generally aware of the year-2000 challenge and most are working to correct it. Agencies that manage vast databases, conduct massive monetary transactions, or interact extensively With other computer systems, face the greatest challenge. An interagency committee has been established to raise awareness Of the year-2000 challenge and facilitate federal efforts at solving it. The interagency committee has initiated several actions, such as requiring vendor software listed in future federal procurement schedules to be year-2000 compliant and specifying four digit year fields for federal computers. The shortage of time to complete year-2000 computer changes may force agencies to prioritize their systems. Agencies may also need to shift resources from other projects to work on year-2000 efforts. State and local governments, as well as foreign organizations, will also have significant year-2000 conversion problems.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.