Governments will monitor the period 30/12 - 04/01 nothing visible will happen they pronouce the country ready for BAU

Organisations will start to experience y2k problems over a period of time but will do their utmost to conceal any bad news from their customers, the medai and their business partners.

Only the very worst cases say leading to bankrupcy will become known about generally. Only those directly affected by such bankrupcies will suffer.

People who cannot obtain services from a supplier will switch to another, even if goods are not available there are always alternatives. I do not see a total breakdown in the supply chain.

Queues may lengthen at public sector organisations but eventually Governments will prop them up.

I see financial losses for those having invested in bankrupted companies, and the worst danger being to the finance sector, where values of investments may be wiped out. The wise money will withdraw very quickly from companies at risk leaving the risk of us to foot the bill.

-- SIRAH (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), December 17, 1999

Answers

That assumes no infrastructure problems.

You e-mail from England. I have heard that London is at risk for electricity/water/natural gas problems. If any of these occur, things will be much worse.

Good luck.

-- David Holladay (davidh@brailleplanet.org), December 17, 1999.

It also assumes no significant degradation in oil supplies.

May God bless you all!!

-- nothing (better@to.do), December 17, 1999.

These are the things that will surprise us:

1. The way that people pull together.

2. The way that the press gleefully reports every major failure.

-- Amy Leone (leoneamy@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

>> 2. The way that the press gleefully reports every major failure. <<

It is well-known that the press has only two positions: they either "point with satisfaction"" or "view with alarm". Of the two, the second is by far the favored stance.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), December 17, 1999.

Journalism's motto used to be : "All the news that's fit to print!"

Whereas, now their motto is: "All the news that's print to fit!"

IMHO, it seems to me that, somehow along the way, the definition of news has changed. Kinda makes you wonder!

Along the same lines of someone who is arguably highly educated calling into question what the meaning of 'IS' is nowadays.

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge. of no-where), December 17, 1999.

You said: "People who cannot obtain services from a supplier will switch to another, even if goods are not available there are always alternatives. I do not see a total breakdown in the supply chain"

How about PARTS? The always available alternate source is a MYTH in many instances. Have been there... If a part is not off-the-shelf, the least disruption is one of TIME. The worst disruption is from an unavailable part of proprietary design.

-- W (me@home.now), December 17, 1999.