Millenium Bug - with a vengance

First severe case reported in Belgium

[pmkpmk]

Germans leading IT newschannel heise-online [heise.de] reports that more than 5 years after the Millenium Bug hype the first potentially severe case came up in Belgium.

Belgium has a nationwide sensor system to measure radiation, called Telerad [telerad.fgov.be], which couldn't cope with the Millenium Bug. One employee tried unsuccessfully from 2000 to 2003 to fix it, then got fired. Since then, the system did not get maintained anymore.

Belgiums minister of interior states that the system is working OK, but not as good as it maybe could. He also pointed out that Belgium is one of the few countries to actually HAVE such a system - other countries do not monitor radiation at all.

[sonjay]

Heh heh.

I'm just glad I'll be past retirement age when the Y2.038K bug rolls around.

[pmkpmk]

Which would be 2043 in Belgium...

[sonjay]

Hmmm...Are you sure it wouldn't be 2033 in Belgium? ;)

[lgn1]

I remember looking at some code in 1999. The most common comment was 'We will not worry about using a two digit year, as this software will be replaced long before 2000'.

The sad part was, these were some of my own coding comments from the early 80's.

No, I don't work for Microsoft :)

[Essex_boy]

early 80's!?!?!? And they were still using it?

I recall having to travel to Hammersmith on new years day just to check if eveything was alright, which it was and got paid a bundle for doing so.

[Lipik]

by the time this problem is solved, belgium doesn't exist anymore.

belgium also has :
- bridges without roads leading to it.
- minister who signs 211 million euro-contract with F1 Berny Ecclestone and without blinking says "yes I signed it, but never red it".
- a government website where you find nothing but costs over 1 million euro
- a prime minister who looks like a rabbit.

but there are good chocolates...

[ska_demon]

but there are good chocolates...

And good Beer

And good chips (french fries)

Thanks you Belgium

Ska ha ha

[Syzygy]

...and don't forget Adolphe Sax... ;-)

Syzygy