Does anybody remember all the media hype about the Y2k bug?

[fury]

XiBase's 2000th thread. (Read it here)

fury's 2000th post. (You're reading it now)

Somehow I am reminded of the huge media "scare" of y2k.

So when January 1st, 2000 first rolled around, where were the totally and completely dead computers?

The downed telephone lines?

The global power outages?

The cars that wouldn't start?

It seems to me that absolutely none of the media's hypotheses and propoganda took place and the world went on just fine, save for a few isolated program errors due to the developers thinking the century was never going to end

Wouldn't it be cool if you could sue the media?

Some companies went through so much trouble to protect their computers by hiring people to verify y2k readiness on all machines and then shutting them all off during the rollover to y2k, eventually costing them right out of their asses.

I for one would like to see it happen that the media as a general collective gets sued so hard they have to repossess the very hair on the backs of their necks

 

[s4]

Do you really have 2000 posts?

 

[fury]

No, I have 2001.

If you're talking about whether they are valid, they are.

 

[Fuser Man]

That's the reason we got new computers at work. The Canadian government gave tax breaks to business that bought new computer systems for Y2K. We had old 486's here and the boss got 4 P450's just because of the tax break. Two are still sitting their boxes.

 

[fury]

Hey, I'll take care of em for ya, man!

except when i overclock the hell out of them

Huh? What? I didn't say nothin!

 

[ris]

i believe italy had some problems for about 4mins, but that was about it.

of course all the governments will be claiming victory in their great public infomration

and all those who bulk bought food, power generators and stockpiled weapons for the rise of anarchy must be feeling a bit stoopid now. anyone seen any special offers on remote hideawats recently?

 

[Neo]

fury i actually went thru that at work. Preparing all systems, updating bios and proggies. shutting the system down for the rollover. The next day when we brought everything back online, I spent most of the day replacing power supplies and hard drives because that was the first time they had been turned off in almost a year. Other than that we had a proggy that couldnt handle the rollover.

 

[Fuser Man]

Originally posted by fury
Hey, I'll take care of em for ya, man!

If any one is going to take them, it's gonna be me.
BTW, they cost $950CND at the time she bought them, so had she waited until we realy need them she could have got them for half the price.

 

[fury]

Neo: That'll kinda happen when computers aren't put through the power cycle for a while... The most likely victim of this kind of death is the hard drive. A little speck of dust eventually catches onto the drive's head, and when the drive is shut down and the head rests on the platter, the dust digs into it, destroying the drive. That happened to one of my customers. "I haven't shut it off in over 2 years, it's been working all that time, but this time I shut it off when I went on vacation... when I came back and turned it on, I got a blank screen." A warning against doing that kinda stuff should be put in every book and said in every course and posted on every board related to computers.

If any one is going to take them, it's gonna be me.
BTW, they cost $950CND at the time she bought them, so had she waited until we realy need them she could have got them for half the price.

That's computers for ya.

 

[br0ck]

I remember when I was working in the labs at that time, we had to pull all the plugs to the monitors and towers. I guess they wanted to make sure that if a power spike came through the lines, we'd be ok.

 

[fury]

That's exactly the kind of stuff I was talking about. The media produced such a scare that probably cost more money than it saved, and they should be sued for it!

 

[br0ck]

agreed, we spent the better part of the day plugging things back in alone!

 

[Fuser Man]

Just like the card companies made up Mothers day and Fathers day, I think a bunch of computer companies got together and said "hey, we need to boost our business so let make up this Y2K bug and millions of people will buy new computers."

 

[fury]

A brilliant maneuver. A conspiracy, but nonetheless brilliant.

Apples have always been Y2k compliant

Makes me wonder if there really is any ounce of honesty beneath that "Our G3 processors put Pentium 3s to shame! To speak nothing of the G4 processors! That is, unless you use programs other than Photoshop while you're on the computer!" facade.