[AT] New product panics (was) Detroits

[Henry Miller]

(Again catching up on 2 weeks worth of email, correcting things that seem to 
need it, or in this case just setting a story straight now that we have some 
hindsight)

On Tuesday 01 August 2006 11:13, charlie hill wrote:
> Mike I always thought that Y2K thing was bogus.  

Make no mistake, there were many very real Y2K problems, a lot of programmers 
worked their butts off to make sure that nothing happened.  The fact that 
nothing happened should be taken as proof that they got something done in 
time for a change, not as evidence that there was not problem.

There was a much larger problem.  The media (which considers computers a 
magical box that only super geniuses have a hope of understanding) saw a way 
to make a big deal for several years, and it had the side benefit of allowing 
people who don't understand computers look down on those of us who do.    
Since the media knows nothing about computers they made of many bogus 
scenarios about how the world was going to end (added by the fact that there 
were 3 zeros in the year, and this is an easy play for doomsday people).

Of course if the media hadn't played the issue up little would have been done, 
and thus things might have gone bad.   Your phone might not have worked in 
the morning, or maybe you get a bill with 100 years past due interest/fines. 
Little things, but annoying.  

While in theory the computer doesn't think in decimal like people do, programs 
have to deal with people, so they convert things to forms people like.