[Reprinted For educational/research purposes:]

Y2K fears calmed by satellites' smooth clock reset

August 23, 1999 Web posted at: 2:50 PM EDT (1850 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The scant reported fallout from the weekend resetting of a popular navigation tool's clock bodes well for meeting the Year 2000 computer challenge, government officials and industry experts said on Sunday.

[snip]

Jack Gribben, spokesman for President Clinton's Council on Year 2000 conversion, noted that the Year 2000 problem involved a somewhat similar "date-specific" hurdle.

"To the extent we see organisations meeting the GPS challenge, it bodes well for their ability to meet the Y2K challenge," he said.

Gribben cautioned that it would take several days to learn how the clock resetting had affected older-model GPS receivers that may not have been properly prepared.

[snip]

-- M.C. Hicks (mhicks@greenwich.com), August 24, 1999

Answers

We'll be hearing the same kind of thing when 9/9/99 rolls around & NOTHING at all happens.

-- expect more (of@the.same), August 24, 1999.

Note that, if there HAD been major GPS rollover problems, the spin would have been: There is absolutely no connection between the GPS rollover and the year 2000 rollover (which is in fact correct). But since the GPS rollover went well, "government officials and industry experts" try to use GPS as some kind of assurance for Y2K.

What a crock!

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), August 24, 1999.

Impact of GPS Rollover is Not Fully Determined -- Yet

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 1999--Although many news agencies are reporting that the GPS rollover came off without a hitch, the calls that Computer Economics received on its GPS Troubleshooting Hotline indicated that problems could still be lurking.

The questions that consumers asked on the GPS hotline showed that the general public did not widely recognize or understand the problem.

"Many consumers who called did not understand what was involved in the end of week rollover, what the consequences would be, or if their receiver or the satellites would be affected," said Computer Economics Vice President of Research Michael Erbschloe. "This means that the GPS problem is not over yet. Many GPS owners could still be unaware of the problem and not realize that their GPS device is malfunctioning until they have to use it. Some users may receive misinformation and not even realize their device is not working properly."

Uninformed GPS users could go camping, hunting, or sailing without checking their GPS devices. After progressing into the wilderness, these explorers could find themselves lost without a functioning GPS device. To avoid this problem, Computer Economics encourages all owners of GPS receivers to turn on the devices and run a test. The accuracy of the location and date should be checked.

Although many individual consumers were confused by the rollover this weekend, large organizations seemed to have handled the glitch well so far. The U.S. Air Force's GPS preparation efforts were successful and helped to mitigate disaster. As yet, the U.S., Europe, and Australia are reporting no large problems. However, the conclusion that there will be no more problems is premature. Comprehensive reports are not in from all parts of the world, and as with the consumer devices, some large-scale problems may not yet be recognized.

Computer Economics is an independent research firm specializing in helping IT decision makers plan, manage, and control IT costs through advisory services, analyst support, an innovative Web site, and printed reports. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., Computer Economics serves 82 percent of the Fortune 500. For further information, please visit the Web site at http://www.computereconomics.com.

-- whatever (whatever@what.ever), August 24, 1999.

What they should have mentioned was that fears of RATIONAL people have been calmed. Tabacky chewin', tinfoil hat wearing, gubmint hatin', NWO fearin' Doomers would not fall into that category...

-- Y2K Pro (y2kpro1@hotmail.com), August 24, 1999.

King of Spain's observation is right on the money.

And speaking of spin, my recollection is that a couple of lagging Federal agencies were supposed to be finished with all their critical systems by the end of July, for sure, for sure. I somehow don't think they made it.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), August 24, 1999.

Y2Kpro -- I consider myself a rational person, yet I do not exhibit any of the extreme behaviors you mention. Therefore, by your logic, I should no longer be worried about Y2K? Hmmm... sorry.

-- M.C. Hicks (mhicks@greenwich.com), August 24, 1999.

...he says as he adjusts his tinfoil beanie...

-- Y2K Pro (y2kpro1@hotmail.com), August 24, 1999.

An amusing image, Y2K Pro.

If I described my typical, ho-hum, middle-class American lifestyle and habits in any detail, it would probably come off sounding all defensive... so, I won't go there.

Instead, suffice it to say that you're using a mighty broad -- and inaccurate -- brush when you paint everyone who expresses concern about Y2K, and doubt that we're getting spin-free info from government and corporations, as being irrational.

-- M.C. Hicks (mhicks@greenwich.com), August 24, 1999.

< Fantasy On >

Y2K Fears Calmed by Zero Occurrences At Rollover

January 5, 2000 Web posted at: 2:50 PM EDT (1850 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The scant reported fallout from the weekend rollover of the century and millennium clock bodes well for meeting the Year 2000 survival challenge, government officials and industry experts said on Tuesday.

< /Fantasy Off >

*wishing upon a star* ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), August 24, 1999.

Hey, Y2KPro(trying to be resonable)...

Not preparing for Y2K in the face of everything we know--and in the face of all the UNknowns-- is irrational. And there's a ton of info on the prep forum on how to get the biggest bang for your prep dollar. Add on to that the fact that most of our preps are consumable, and the ergo is: it makes plenty of sense to be prepared and NONsense to be unprepared.

-- Sandmann (Sandmann@alasbab.com), August 24, 1999.

Y2KPro,

Tell that to the tabacky chewin', tinfoil hat wearing, gubmint hatin', NWO fearin' Inspector General of the State Department. I'm sure she'd be amused.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), August 24, 1999.