Y2K: So Far, So Good

There is a philosophical--and unresolved--debate over the starting date of the next millennium: Is it Jan. 1, 2000, or Jan. 1, 2001? But for computers, electronic systems potentially affected by the so-called year 2000 glitch, it’s a lot more complicated.

The glitch can occur when computers read a “00” year on their internal calendars as 1900, not 2000. The more imaginative observers claim to have identified up to 31 so-called “trigger dates” in 1999 that could spark Y2K-related problems. The good news is that most of those 1999 doom-date predictions are farfetched. Some have already passed without problems. But why let facts get in the way of a survivalist panic attack?

For reasons that remain unclear, 1/1/99 was listed by some as a trigger date for computers to go haywire. Nothing happened. Another prominent date was Feb. 5, 1999, when travel agents could begin selling air tickets for 1/1/2000 and beyond. That day passed and the nation’s airline, hotel, train and cruise reservation systems didn’t even hiccup, much less crash.

Another biggie: April 1, 1999, the day on which fiscal year 2000 began in New York state and some foreign nations. Again, there was nothing of consequence to report. A nonevent, said Canadian officials, whose country had been thought by some to be at risk. A small victory on the Y2K front, some experts said. From here, it sounds like great cause for relief. What’s small about government payrolls and accounting and tax systems flowing along without big Y2K problems?

Most other states and many American corporations face a similar test June 1, when their new fiscal years begin. Others will follow, including California (July 1) and the federal government (October). What happens as those dates roll by will tell much about the country’s readiness. Until then, preparedness, not panic, is the watchword.