Y2k Bug Actually happens?

Splurgy · Sep 20, 2007

Y2K bug was a clicking time bomb for all major computer applications. The computer and system application companies came out with year 2000 compliant operating systems and system software. IT companies around the world spent billions of dollars to go through their entire application source code to look for the Y2K bug and fix it. Almost everybody raced around to make themselves Y2K compliant before the fast approaching deadline. Finally when the big day came, many utilities and other companies switched off their main computers and put the backup computers on work. When the clock ticked Jan 1, 2000, no major problems were reported. Almost every bank worked fine, no major power outages were reported, airplanes still flew and the whole world went on with its normal life.

What if the danger of Y2k was not taken seriously and on the first day of the new year, all computer systems went haywire? Where would we be now, 7 years on?

Redem · Sep 20, 2007

Well if worst case scenario take place the arab can take over the world as they don't use the same calendar than us

(well I don't know if that apply to their computer but anyway)

Splurgy · Sep 20, 2007

I'm guessing they probably had imported American goods. But I suppose less developed nations would actually have an advantage, ironically.

Dean_the_Young · Sep 20, 2007

Splurgy said:
What if the danger of Y2k was not taken seriously and on the first day of the new year, all computer systems went haywire? Where would we be now, 7 years on?
[/font]

Was there ever really any proof that Y2K was such a big deal? I heard that it was mostly wasted effort.

Amerigo Vespucci · Sep 20, 2007

Dean_the_Young said:
Was there ever really any proof that Y2K was such a big deal? I heard that it was mostly wasted effort.

The Y2K scares did a lot of good by pushing people to modernize their systems where otherwise they might not have. A lot of unnecessary things were upgraded, but so were most mission-critical things. If not for the scare, it's possible that some systems would've gone without upgrades, potentially causing problems.

Dean_the_Young · Sep 20, 2007

Amerigo Vespucci said:
The Y2K scares did a lot of good by pushing people to modernize their systems where otherwise they might not have. A lot of unnecessary things were upgraded, but so were most mission-critical things. If not for the scare, it's possible that some systems would've gone without upgrades, potentially causing problems.

But that doesn't mean that there would have been a civilization-ending crash in the year 2000, which is what this thread is about.

Amerigo Vespucci · Sep 20, 2007

Dean_the_Young said:
But that doesn't mean that there would have been a civilization-ending crash in the year 2000, which is what this thread is about.

But that's not the question I was answering.

Dean_the_Young · Sep 20, 2007

Amerigo Vespucci said:
But that's not the question I was answering.

It's the question I was asking, though.

Amerigo Vespucci · Sep 20, 2007

Dean_the_Young said:
It's the question I was asking, though.

Ah. Well, how about this answer:

As with all alternate history, it's difficult to figure out exactly what would've happened. Since the event is in the recent past, we haven't had as much time to analyze it as we have events like, say, the Second World War. Right now, the consensus is fairly split, and you can get an idea here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y2K_bug#Was_the_expenditure_worth_the_effort.3F

Anaxagoras · Sep 20, 2007

The Amish will be in a position of world domination!

Hannibal.Caesar · Sep 21, 2007

Anaxagoras said:
The Amish will be in a position of world domination!

Those damn Amish. Who ever knew they were secretly plotting world domination with their HQ in a secret bunker in PA. I'll never forget the day when the Amish stormed out of their secret bases on their bear cavalry...

Iñaki · Sep 21, 2007

As a note of curiosity, in one spanish newspaper that in 2000 analized the 2000 computer effect or Y2K bug about that in general there was minor problems, the only country that according that newspaper (IIRC was "El Periodico de Cataluña") reported some king of medium-big problems was Gambia. (I remember this even now because I found it some kind of shocking that at the end the only country that had some kind of true problems was that little african nation).

Iñaki · Sep 21, 2007

While putting this last post I decided to make some research in Internet to see if El Periodico and my memory are right.

Yes the two are correct

: "The country of Gambia has its infrastructure hard hit by the Y2K bug.1 Gambia declared Monday, January 3, a non-working day to reduce pressure on its crippled services. " the article where I found this have some interesting information about other effects of the Y2K bug
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/570/

rudebadger · Sep 21, 2007

Dean_the_Young said:
But that doesn't mean that there would have been a civilization-ending crash in the year 2000, which is what this thread is about.

I always knew that Y2K was all BS, never doubted for a moment...is anyone interested in 5 years worth of beef jerky?

Splurgy · Sep 21, 2007

Iñaki said:
While putting this last post I decided to make some research in Internet to see if El Periodico and my memory are right.

Yes the two are correct: "The country of Gambia has its infrastructure hard hit by the Y2K bug.1 Gambia declared Monday, January 3, a non-working day to reduce pressure on its crippled services. " the article where I found this have some interesting information about other effects of the Y2K bug
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/570/

So Gambia didn't prepare and was crippled. Does this mean that if people hadn't prepared elsewhere a computer crippling crunch would have hit the world?