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The Y2K bug has been exterminated. Chalk the digital apocalypse
up to an urban myth, or a technology scam. The Y2K bug is defunct.
As the world watched expectantly for havoc, the clock rolled
from 1999 to 2000 with few glitches.
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Failures of every form of technology were predicted by highly
paid professionals, but none of them occurred. The public was
encouraged to stockpile food and water. Many were worried about
their bank accounts suddenly going missing because of the turn
of the calendar. Nothing happened. There were no terrorist attacks,
no world panic about failed heating systems, no chaos whatsoever |
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.Best selling books were written giving advice on how to prepare
for the dreaded bug, now with no sales prospects. Edward Yourdon,
a computer programmer in The U. S has warned the world of widespread
disorder when the computer odometers rolled over. Yourdon is
disappointed the breakdowns he forecast never occurred. Speaking
of the unbroken supply of electricity world wide he said to New
York Times reporters "by god they did a good job of fixing
things." He hasn't yet ruled out computer problems yet.
It might take a few weeks for the glitches to present themselves,
said the ever hopeful programmer.
As the clock moved closer to 2000 industry was less concerned
with the so called bug than the public. A top priority was avoiding
a public over reaction that could have over loaded any system.
If hundreds of thousands of people had taken money out of the
bank, cashed in mutual funds, gotten larger amounts of gas than
normal, it would be natural for the systems to overload. The
concern was that the public would become so over worried with
potential problem that they would cause breakdowns themselves
by overloading the systems.
Sheepish consumers have been returning propane, matches and
emergency candles by the cartloads to local stores. Danielle
Sprite, who works at Zellers Mic Mac Mall commented on the amount
of Y2k supplies that she has been returning lately.
"It's crazy, they bought all this stuff to keep them
safe, when really it was a hoax. At least they have the option
to return everything that they bought because they were led to
believe they needed it" she said.
Sprite did not stockpile anything for the turn of the clock.
She said she was not worried at all.
Now safe in the new millennium the doomsday prophecies seem
outrageous. Planes did not fall from the say, money did not mysteriously
disappear from bank accounts, power did not go out, there was
no panic. We rolled from one year to another as usual with no
problems. Who knows, perhaps the predictions will come true next
millennium. |
