Re: Y2K Fears to Stop Cityrail Trains

["Put name here..." <danv@primus.com.au>]

Lets be realistic here, who would be using a computer that is more than 30
years old in a home environment???



Michael <mk@netstra.com.au> wrote in message
8E29881E2telstraNews@vic.news.telstra.net">news:8E29881E2telstraNews@vic.news.telstra.net...
> [going more off topic here]
>
> But then you yet again have the stupid people that have been led like
sheep
> undoubtedly by the media hype to believe that they will die and other
> drastic things will happen if they dont get their toilet Y2K compliant and
> stockpile Y2K compliant food and water. IMHO, for the average household,
> Y2K will most probably not affect them much. The only real household issue
> would have to be the home PC, and even then limited to a lot older
systems.
> As far as today's PC's and operating systems go, wait until 2036!! Of the
> computers I have tested for that date, just about all email programs and
> news clients will shit themselves, and any other application that is date
> reliant... Netscape Navigator also died on me in these tests.
>
> Regards
> Michael
>
> Steve Kudlak said on 21/08/1999 in <37bdff4c.22445257@news.ovis.net>:
>
> >On Wed, 4 Aug 1999 10:56:35 +1200, "Michael McDonald"
> ><michael.and.colleen.mcdonald@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
> >
> >>Don't forget that Sydney and Melbourne will have at least 2 hours
> warning,
> >>Brisbane 3, and Perth 5, of any impending problems.  I can guarantee
that
> >>any engineer worth his salt will be watching NZ to see what happens at
> 1100
> >>GMT on 31-Dec-1999.  The wise may choose to use direct satellite
> >>communications!
> >>
> >>You may have your own problems though!
> >>
> >>The effect of 0000 GMT on 01-Jan-2000 will be global rather spread
> locally
> >>across time zones.
> >>
> >
> >
> >Interesting how many of us will not be at parties...or be at Y2K
> >parties which will be dedicated  to watching what is happening across
> >the world. I would speculate it will be interesting here in the US, as
> >reports come as 0000GMT and 0100GMT. Especially if there are any
> >"events" occuring in say the 3rd world. Presumably because they the
> >older versions of things.
> >
> >Today in the local paper here (Wheeling, West Virginia, USA) there was
> >
> >a report via UPI, that the United States Navy had a report that things
> >were supposed to wilder and wooly that previously expected....
> >
> >>I'm not expecting too many problems (famous last words!!).
> >>
> >>I've already experienced the Y2K problem.  Occurred in 1993 for a
> computer
> >>system that I had partial responsibility for.  System had a very dicey
> >>hardware clock (it was bigger than a PC mother-board, not very reliable,
> and
> >>had a very crude method of setting time and date - very similar to the
> way
> >>of setting most bedside radio clocks, but had to be done with software).
> >>
> >>After eliminating the clock as the source of the problem, it was a
matter
> of
> >>putting 2 and 2 together - the base time for the system was 1-Mar-1976,
> the
> >>resolution of the timer (NOT the hardware clock) was 0.25 sec.  The time
> >>that had elapsed was 2^31 "ticks"!!!  Since the system had been mainly
> >>decomissioned we took the simplest solution of putting the clock back to
> a
> >>year with the same calendar.
> >>
> >>Digital computer systems had a potential problem of similar nature a
> couple
> >>of years ago - May 18, if I remember correctly,  but can't remember
which
> >>year it was.  Date was significant because it was 10000 days since the
> base
> >>time of 1-Jan-1960 for Unix systems.
> >>
> >>If you are worried you can always try moving to a country which doesn't
> use
> >>the Christian calendar.
> >>
> >>Not trains, but interesting (I hope).
> >>
> >>Cheers
> >>Michael
> >>
> >>>> >David Bennetts wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> >> The NSW Transport Minister Carl Scully has announced that trains
> will
> >>stop
> >>>> >> at 11.45 pm on New Years eve and resume at 12.15 am in the city
> >>underground
> >>>> >> area, probably quite a sensible idea if one is not sure about the
> >>>> >> reliability of power supply and signalling, particularly with
> >>underground
> >>>> >> stations.
> >>
> >>
> >><remainder snipped>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >Well Interesting to see what happens. Especially with News Media.... I
> >assume here we will get reports from the UK, and from other places in
> >the world. So both December 31st 1999 and 01 January 2000 . When in
> >GMT do people think people will start paying attention to what is
> >going on?  Hmmmm this is going to have me getting  a world wall map
> >with time zones.  Maybe we can get all the Alternative Radio Stations
> >to play "Timezones "  by NEGATIVLAND ...but at MIdnight Local  Time or
> >Midnight GMT. Midnight GMT would be more grandiose,  Midnight Local
> >(OK astronomy-domination type <smiley> Midnight for one's loca.l time
> >zone) might actually reassuring...If one heard it  from the next time
> >zone over a lot...I used to have this compulsive little habit when I
> >had a daysleep job on the Western US Coast.  I would set my shortwave
> >to somewhere in the middle or low band,  and especially in NOrthern
> >Hemisphere Winter I would hear of all things RADIO AUSTRALIA, which
> >would sort of pop on around 1600PDT when it was a good idea to get
> >up.  It was always reassuring to me. A friend of mine thought it
> >"obsessive/compulsive" and I should worry about. I thought it was that
> >I grew up watching too many end of the world movies.
> >
> >
> >Have Fun,
> >Sends Steve
> >chromexa@ovis.net
> >