Ah, the joys of Communist Dictatorship!

From the Nando Times:

"China has given its airlines the ultimate incentive for the managers of state-run airlines to find solutions for the Year 2000 computer bug -- ordering airline chiefs to personally board flights next New Year's Day."

http://www2.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,7931-13668-96619-0,00.html

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 15, 1999

Answers

Thats certainly a creative solution the FAA might consider. Koskinen's already said he'll fly. Who else?

Also appreciated ...

Foreign analysts say lower penetration of computers in Chinese society in no way assures a lesser impact from the bug.

The country has more than 10 million computers in operation and untold numbers of embedded chips.

The systems the country's power, transport, financial and communications machines depend on incorporate a mishmash of pirated software and outdated hardware more vulnerable to Year 2000, they say.

Zhao admitted users of pirated software had a more difficult time expunging the bug because they could not seek help from the original supplier.

His ministry has trained more than 5,000 computer engineers to tackle the problem, but even with more on the way some analysts say the efforts could be too little too late.

Wonder how many other countries have pirate problems? Shiver me timbers! And all the other computer overlayers and underpinnings, eh?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 15, 1999.

Maybe Koskinen can get on an Air China flight, since the Insurance agnecies seem reluctant to insure flights here, despite the FAA assurances. LOL.

Let's see: Over 10 million computers and and "untold" number of embedded systems, with a whopping 5000 computer engineers. Well, it is obvious to me that they have everything well in air - er, I mean hand.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), January 15, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

This is a great idea!

When I was in the Airborne school at Ft. Benning our riggers told us that they had to jump once a week on a chute picked at random. Good incentive for them to pack each one just right. Good incentive for me too as I went out the door.

-- Franklin Journier (ready4y2k@yahoo.com), January 15, 1999.

Is the management of software projects by decree covered in Mr. Yourdon's book?

Like it really doesn't work - in the case of an unmoveable deadline.

After reading the story I feel sorry for those who'll face failure, it'll more than likely cost them their lives.

Best Regards, Tom McDowell

-- Tom Mcdowell (tmcd@netographer.com), January 15, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

Tom Mcdowell;

>Like it really doesn't work - in the case of an unmoveable deadline.

After reading the story I feel sorry for those who'll face failure, it'll more than likely cost them their lives.

Best Regards, Tom McDowell<

Sort of like the same thing that will happen to those of us who don't prepare for whatever y2k will do to us?

S.O.B.

-- sweetolebob (La) (buffgun@hotmail.com), January 15, 1999.

"China has given its airlines the ultimate incentive for the managers of state-run airlines to find solutions for the Year 2000 computer bug -- ordering airline chiefs to personally board flights next New Year's Day."

But you see, they've left an easy "out"...the CEOs will just put the airline chefs onboard and claim it was a misunderstanding...

ahh-sooo....

-- a (a@a.a), January 15, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

Really, Garvey, Koskinen, the Chinese managers should be forced to take their FAMILIES with them, as well. Just so they know how it feels to be frightened for one's family.

-- Lisa (lisab@shallc.com), January 15, 1999.

Great. And these people are going to rule the world by the end of the next century. And they would do something as dopey as this. Guess that doesn't bode well for the Y10K problem

-- a (b@c.def), January 15, 1999.

Didn't say how far they had to fly - nor at what time of day.

Just take off at 8:00 AM, land someplace before dark - VFR rules all the way. No problem.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 15, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

Aren't Chinese commercial aircraft mainly Russian jobs anyways - yikes!!!

Andy

Two digits. One mechanism. The smallest mistake.

"The conveniences and comforts of humanity in general will be linked up by one mechanism, which will produce comforts and conveniences beyond human imagination. But the smallest mistake will bring the whole mechanism to a certain collapse. In this way the end of the world will be brought about."

Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, 1922 (Sufi Prophet)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 15, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

China had a very simple solution to the problem of train wrecks too. In any train wreck, someone was responsible. They would find that person, and execute him. There were not many train wrecks in China compared to the US last century, even with normalized data.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), January 17, 1999.

Response to "China decrees airline bosses must fly on New Year's Day to assure they remedy Year 2000 problems"

I would like to see all electric excutives, PR flacks and y2k teams (and their families) be required to spend New Years day in nuclear plants. Oil excutives on platforms in the Gulf. Etc......

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), January 17, 1999.