Re: next 18 months

[tom abeles <tabeles@tmn.com>]

There have been several postings which have said that the important
objective is the next 18 month and not to worry about who created or
why the y2k crisis exists- just "fix it".

First, we can line folks up on both sides of the fence- major problem
and no problem- what you do over the next 18 month will depend on how
you perceive the problem. So the next 18 month will be a boom or a
bust depending on your situation. Alia jacta est.

The issue of why this problem arose is the raison d'etre that this
list is here at all. If one believes that y2k is a symptom of an
underlying problem, then we do, indeed, need to worry about why we are
confronting this issue as a "crisis". If the underlying cause is not
identified and addressed, then we will get through y2k and head to the
next cliff, while zipping down this mountain path called life, with
the potential for an even greater fiasco- one for which there is no
simple  fix in a line of source code.

Yes, if you believe that y2k is a bomb that will explode and cause
great damage, there is need for concern. Yet this is not Armageddon,
the collapse of Babel Tower or of the same meteoric proportions of the
type that wiped out the dinasaurs. That is proscribing too much to
the power of humans. What this is, basically, is an early warning that
something is wrong with the system. Curing Y2K without dealing with
the underlying issues is treating the symptom and not the problem. It
may stop the itching, but leaves the core untouched

cheers

tom abeles