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[interdoc-y2k 333] Last-Minute Help Available for Y2K (US)
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Last-Minute Help Available for Y2K (US)
Updated 11:12 AM ET December 21, 1999
By Aaron Pressman
http://news.excite.com/news/r/991221/11/net-column-pluggedin
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In just a matter of days, the world will
learn if computer problems caused by the date rollover to the Year
2000 will bring society to its knees or just cause minor
inconveniences.
But for consumers, there is still plenty of time left to perform
checks on home software and hardware, with numerous resources
available on the Internet.
Potential problems could occur because hardware and software vendors
at times sold products that recorded dates using only the last two
digits of the year. Such products may break down or create errors
when faced with dates including the year 2000, which could be treated
like 1900.
Even products that can cope with 2000 may have problems on Feb. 29.
While most years ending in "00" are not leap years, years divisible
by 400, including 2000, are leap years.
Many leading software vendors have posted detailed assessments of
possible problems in products they have sold over the years. In some
cases, the companies have also posted patches to correct problems,
even for older products.
Microsoft Corp., the No. 1 maker of personal computer operating
systems and business productivity software, has a vast guide to Year
2000 problems beginning at the Web page
http://www.microsoft.com/y2k/.
The pages include a guide for home and small business users and a
downloadable software program (available at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/year2k/pca/pca.htm) that can
analyze Microsoft products running on a PC and report on possible
glitches and needed patches.
Among other software makers that have posted information and patches
are Adobe Systems Inc. (
http://www.adobe.com/newsfeatures/year2000/prodsupport.html), Corel
Corp. (http://www.corel.com/year2000/index.htm), Symantec Corp. (
http://www.symantec.com/y2k/y2k.html) and IBM Corp.'s Lotus
Development unit
(http://www.software.ibm.com/year2000/swlotus.html).
Hardware vendors such as Dell Computer Corp. (
http://www.dell.com/year2000/), Gateway Inc. (
http://www.gateway.com/about/y2k/index.shtml) and Apple Computer
Inc. ( http://www.apple.com/about/year2000/), have also posted
informational pages about possible problems in products they have
sold.
Computers and software are not the only home electronics items that
can be affected by Y2K issues, however. As appliances have become
increasingly reliant on embedded computer chips to operate, some
Year 2000 have crept in as well.
The Y2Kbase (http://y2k.y2kbase.com) includes a vast listing of
products that could be affected. Specific sections address problems
in home appliances and consumer electronics like VCRs.
At "Billy the Y2K Bot" (http://www.billythebot.com), consumers can
enter the name of a vendor and the site will search for relevant
information. The site also includes search engines for some specific
companies that allow a consumer to discover if a specific product
has any Y2K issues.
Major media outlets have also compiled pages of tips and advice for
dealing with home Y2K issues.
Money Magazine's "Year 2000 Bug" page (
http://pathfinder.com/money/y2k/index.html) offers several
downloadable software programs for assessing Y2K vulnerability as
well as offering advice on finance industry issues, such as the
vulnerability of social security checks, mutual funds and insurance
policies.
More computer-oriented sites include PC Magazine's "Year 2000
Resource Center" (http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/special/y2k/index.html),
which offers "how to" advice columns and warnings.
In the event that something actually does go wrong, consumers may
seek redress through the courts. Information about pending and
completed Y2K litigation can be found at the Year 2000 Liability page
( http://www.2000law.com/).
Link:
More information at:
http://www.bestnet.org/~jwalker/y2k.htm
------------
Also in this issue:
- 1999: The year of living digitally (US)
The year-end roundup of Events that Mattered has become a knee-jerk
journalistic exercise. But it's still worthwhile, because it gives
us the opportunity to reflect for a minute about recent history --
before, in the other year-end routine, we launch our wild guesses
about the future.
- German Win2K Bug: Scientology? (EU)
Is there Scientology in your software?
That's the question confronting Microsoft in Germany, where an
alleged connection to Scientology in Windows 2000 has prompted a
government inquiry into the operating system software.
- Taking Up the Fight Against the Digital Divide (US)
WASHINGTON -- Efforts to bridge the so-called digital divide, the
low rate of Internet use among the poor and minority groups, has been
pushed to the front of the Clinton administration's agenda. But as
Bill Clinton and Al Gore head into their final year in office,
responsibility for closing the growing gap in access no longer rests
with the man credited with defining it.
- Chinese 'Web Worm' Fights Prejudice (Asia)
SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) - When government organizers dreamed up
the idea of China's first "Miss Internet" competition, they
envisioned a winner with the mind of a computer programmer and the
body of a beauty queen. Smart and shapely, she would be a television
role model to encourage more Chinese women to venture online.
So when Chen Fanhong burst into contention, the organizers
determined she must be stopped.
- Russians Plead Guilty to Web Fraud (US)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Four Russian emigres who sent a blizzard of 50
million e-mails pleaded guilty to fraud charges Monday in a scheme
that cheated job seekers out of about $150,000 and threatened to
crash major Internet systems providers.
- Search Engine Tips For The Millennium (US)
Sometimes web businesses miss out on the most effective and cheapest
method of web site promotion - search engine positioning.
- Last-Minute Help Available for Y2K (US)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In just a matter of days, the world will
learn if computer problems caused by the date rollover to the Year
2000 will bring society to its knees or just cause minor
inconveniences.
- Man gets jail for Internet libel (Ireland)
A man who spread Internet messages alleging one of his former
teachers was a paedophile has been jailed for 2½ years.
- Some Notable Sites Marked A Notable Web Year (US)
ATLANTA End-of-the-year lists are as inevitable as death and taxes.
At the end of the century, it's a good thing the Web isn't 1,000
years old or even 10. This subjective list of 1999's notable Web
achievements won't make anybody think back further than January.
- ICANN Enacts Arbitration Process (US)
The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers Tuesday made
changes to its procedures governing the resolution of domain name
disputes.
- New Lists and Journals
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