Hoping for a Y2-OK

Orange County officials say they’ve tested as much as they can and really believe their computers are set to work just fine on 01/01/00. But as anyone accustomed to dealing with computers and getting “error” messages knows, there is no such thing as certainty.

There would not have been a problem had computer dates been written with four-digit years such as 1999 and 2000 rather than 99 and 00. But now the concern is the computer will read the date as 1900, creating chaos.

Thus the year 2000 problem, or Y2K as it is generally known, has led to worldwide computer fixes and backup plans in case the fixes prove to be not up to snuff.

Orange County’s point man on the Y2K problem is Leo Crawford, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. The numerous county departments and agencies have more than 200 computer systems. While it is reassuring to hear Crawford say that nearly all the systems are ready to go on Jan. 1, it is more reassuring to hear him say something minor, somewhere, will go wrong. That’s refreshingly realistic.

So far it has cost an estimated $26.6 million to get the computers in county government into shape. Crawford said he has urged departments with outdated systems to get new ones rather than try to patch obsolete machines. That should prove to be a benefit to county taxpayers in the long run.

The Sheriff’s Department, which does not come under Crawford’s purview, last month began using a new $3-million computer system for calls to the 911 emergency number. But properly deciding to be cautious, the department also upgraded the old system for $250,000 and will use it as a backup.

Police agencies across the county find every New Year’s Eve a busy night, but the millennium celebrations have made preparations even more intense. Representatives of two dozen law enforcement agencies have been meeting monthly for a year to prepare for any problems stemming from tens of thousands of people at festivities everywhere from Disneyland to the San Clemente Pier, as well as from computer-controlled traffic lights that might malfunction.

It’s planning that’s needed to help everyone enjoy a safe new year, one in which, it is hoped, the computers in Orange County government keep working.