A disclaimer, first of all: I know nothing about computers or Y2K, so I’m pretty much just making up most of this stuff.
So I was thinking about the whole Y2K thing the other night, and i got to thinking…if computers “communicate” in that language made up of 0’s and 1’s, technically we still could mess everything up for a good 10 more years until there is no fear of another year ending in a 0 or a 1 (meaning, 2010 and 2011.) Is this making any sense? Also, should be concerned, or am I just having unnecessary paranoia?
Your question doesn’t make much sense because you are confusing binary with decimal numbers, and that has nothing to do with the Y2K bug.
However, it is true that some programs did fix their Y2K bugs by delaying the problem rather than resolving the problem. Microsoft Word (don’t remember which version, I think it was Word 97) fixed it by saying anything before '32 was 2032, andthing after that was 19xx. Of course, if you are still using Word 97 in 2032, that is a whole nuther problem
Yeah, I was waiting for someone else to explain because I’m no expert.
Think of it this way: Binary is the medium by which computers communicate with each other, no matter what code language is used. Sound is the medium by which people communicate, no matter what language is spoken.
Anything like the Y2K glitch would be the result of a code error, much like using the wrong word, or not enough words, when talking to somebody.
That was not a “Y2K” glitch. That was a leap year glitch. The on-board computers on some of the newer rolling stock were thoroughly convinced that there can only be 365 days in a year, and didn’t like it when they were told it was the 366th day of 2000. NSB tried to make it out as an unforseen Y2K bug to cover their sorry butts.
Angry? Yeah, I guess I am. This is the one-year anniversary of an accident that claimed 19 lives, and NSB has done nothing to improve safety along the neglected Røros line, claiming that the accident is “still under investigation”. Do we really need an investigation to know that train-stop capability, proper radio communications and better traffic control would be good ideas?
Thanks for the explanation flodnak. I thought the explanation was kinda weird, but I had heard virtually the same story (that it was a Y2K problem) reported on NPR.
