Y2K - compliant vs ready?greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread |
I have been reviewing annual reports for Y2K info. (That's my thing) One thing I have noticed is the use of the term "ready" in place of "compliant". I would like to hear someone explain the difference.
-- Sue (conibear@gateway.net), January 21, 1999
Sue:My understanding is that compliant means both the programs (software) and data files have been fixed so that dates in date fields contain 4-digit year information, and the programs handle that. Period.
Y2K "ready" simply means they are not compliant. There may be some hokey patch or fix that supposedly enables correct interpretation or handling of dates with 2-digit year information, but the data and/or programs are not compliant as I defined, above.
Microsoft products, which I am most familiar with, for example, are not compliant. They claim "compliant" in some cases and "readiness" in others. I don't believe compliant. Their readiness includes hokey stuff like "windowing" on a "pivot date". Different Microsoft products assume different pivot dates.
A pivot date example might be "34". Any dates encountered less than 34 are assumed to be prefixed "20" (25 --> 2025). Any dates encountered greater than (or equal) are assumed to be prefixed "19" (60 --> 1960).
Question: what happens if one program assumes a pivot date of 24, another of 34, another of 50, another of 80, etc.? (hint: screwups).
-- vbProg (vbProg@microsoftsucks.com), January 21, 1999.
See how easy it is to screw even in little stuff?
-- vbProgrammer (vbProg@microsoftsucks.com), January 21, 1999.
Thanks. I had some idea but was not sure. I have heard alot about these fixes. Lucent has "ready" written all over its annual report. It's Y2K section is very long and not very encouraging.
-- Sue (conibear@gateway.net), January 21, 1999.
...And of course, Lucent and AT&T are in the news today:"AT&T and its spin-off Lucent Technologies have been hit with a year 2000 lawsuit that claims many of their office communications products are vulnerable to date problems. The lawsuit, filed in New York, claims that AT&T and Lucent knew about Y2K problems in the office communications products they sold and have not offered any repairs or upgrades to customers. The suit seeks injunctive relief and compensatory and punitive damages, naming products including Merlin, Audix, and Definity."
http://www.computerweekly.co.uk/ cwarchive/columns/19990121/cwcontainer.asp?name=C2.html
-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 21, 1999.
Hope that cleans up after the kids. cr
-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 22, 1999.
I would say the difference between compliant and ready is just about the same as two old men (older than I) one has taken his Viagra and the other one hasn't.
-- Herbert Johnson (HERB87@JUNO.COM), January 22, 1999.
Related to the other party in a Viagra situation -- Ready means "wet". Compliant may or may not be wet.
-- vbProg (vbProg@microsoftsucks.com), January 23, 1999.
No firm definitions, but from what I've read:With respect to a program or chip, compliant means there won't be any problems, and ready means no problems if the code was properly written to handle limitations in the chip, or if 4-digit years were used when 2-digit years were an option in the program.
With respect to organizations, as near as I can tell, compliant means there won't be any problems, and ready means there won't be any *fatal* problems.
-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), January 23, 1999.