a Y99 Embedded Systems Failure - Employees Locked Out

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It's not just software that had some glitches after January 1st. I found this article today on employees locked out of their building due to hardware problems as well:

http://nt.excite.com/news/u/990105/21/tech-science-y2k

"GREAT NECK, N.Y. Jan. 5 (UPI) The head of a Long Island, N.Y. insurance company says a flaw in the hardware of his brand new card-access security system locked most of his workers out of their office building on Monday because the date had changed from 1998 to 1999.

"David Sterling of Sterling and Sterling Insurance says the glitch ended his skepticism about the predicted widespread electronic havoc that will be caused by computer chips confused by the date at the beginning of 2000."

and

"An employee at the security company used by Sterling confirmed to United Press International that one of their systems has a bug that took effect on New Year's Eve and needs to be fixed with a chip and new software."

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 07, 1999

Answers

Sterling said: "God forbid there is a chip like this in an airplane in a very important role navigational equipment or who knows? On Dec. 31 I'm going to be roasting chestnuts over an open fire with my family and friends around me at home."

1999, The Year of Global Bug Hunt SWAT Teams.

2000, The Year of Living Dangerously.

*Sigh*

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 08, 1999.


Kevin Da Link Man, may I suggest that you post those 1999 incidents on the already existing thread(s) of this subject, so as to make a more comprehensive (one-stop-shop) and easily found source of such glitches?

I try hard to read as many threads as I can to keep up, but I inevitably miss several. Keeping such valuable info grouped into the least threads as possible helps us keeping the dots connected.

Thanks for your great input on this forum Kevin :)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 08, 1999.


For the historical record, I'm going to post the full text of the article that kicked this thread off.

"Computer Date Glitch Locks Workers Out"

http://207.193.114.16/y2k/Y2kArchiveNews/GlitchLocksOut.htm

Computer Date Glitch Locks Workers Out

by Chris Hawke

GREAT NECK, N.Y., Jan. 5 (UPI) The head of an Long Island, N.Y., insurance company says a flaw in the hardware of his brand new card- access security system locked most of his workers out of their office building on Monday because the date had changed from 1998 to 1999.

David Sterling of Sterling and Sterling Insurance says the glitch ended his skepticism about the predicted widespread electronic havoc that will be caused by computer chips confused by the date at the beginning of 2000.

Many computer chips only use two digits to represent the year. The so- called Y2K bug occurs when the computer instructions hard-wired into chips misread 2000 as 00.

Sterling, an expert in Y2K liability, says he was very skeptical about the widespread predictions of malfunctions in everything that uses date-sensitive microchips from telephone and medical equipment to nuclear reactors.

However, after a personal computer-driven security system would not open the magnetic locks on the entrance to his company for over half of his staff of 85 people, Sterling says he has a new attitude.

"What scared me was the problem was not with the personal computer, which we checked. It was a chip in a control panel," he said.

An employee at the security company used by Sterling confirmed to United Press International that one their systems has a bug that took effect on New Year's Eve and needs to be fixed with a chip and new software.

Employees at Texas-based DSX, identified by the security company as the system's manufacturer, refused to comment.

However, the DSX Web site talks about the Dec. 31, 1999, problem in some of their systems and offers a program that will temporarily fix the problem. The site recommends a system upgrade.

Sterling said: "God forbid there is a chip like this in an airplane in a very important role navigational equipment or who knows? On Dec. 31 I'm going to be roasting chestnuts over an open fire with my family and friends around me at home."

Copyright 1999 by United Press International

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), March 01, 1999.


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