14 - Wednesday, September 30, 1998 — North Shore News north shore news <4. BUSINESS HIGH TECH = Counting The Year 2000 problem has been getting a lor of media attenrion lately because the protlent is so bia and ithas the potential to affect so many firms world- wide, Over the coming weeks we will be presenting a series of articles to present vou with the information you need to help vou fight the Millennium Bug. Darryl Craig Contributing Writer HAVE you got the Millennium Bug? Ifyour firm uses computers of any type, or has important supplicrs or customers that do, chances are you have the bug. When the year 2000 rolls around, depending on how badly you have been affected, your business may come to a stop, per- haps permanently. Unfortunately, the Millennium Bug is not like a normal computer vrs of the type that we all have been warned abot. ; and there is no program or gadget that we can buy to fix the problem or use to protect ourselves. The Gartner Group predicts that 90% of busi- ness in North America will experience a serious operational failure in the year 2000. Up to 20% of those business will never recover and will go bank- rupt. One large firm recently tested 1,700 Pentium desktop computers and found that only 10 were Year 2000 ready. The cause of the problem is deceptively simple: because some computer systems are programmed to store dates using only the last two digits of the year, many systems will interpret 01/01/00 not as Jan. 1, 2000, but as Jan. 1, 1900. Ina related problem not all computers will rec- ognize that the Year 2000 is a leap year and omit Feb. 29, 2000. The example below shows how a computer with the millennium bug will calculate an age with the date format (mm/dd/yy). Information is entered in order of Current Date, Birth Date, Calculated Age. The results are as follows: , 06/19/99 — 06/19/59 — 40 06/19/00 — 06/19/59 — 59,59, or Error. Asa result of this problem, when the millenni- um arrives, many systems, both hardware and soft- ‘ware will miscalculate dates or simply cease to function. The problem affects everything from VCRs to bank computer systems. The results can vary from lost or corrupted data to the shut down ofa complex manufacturing system that is com- puter controlled. Why was it done? There are several reasons. The first is human nature, after all when was the Jast time any of us wrote the “19” in the year ona cheque? As well, there were what seemed tike good rational reasons. Computer memory was - very expensive and dropping the century saved 25% in date storage space. Lastly, even if the pro- grammers knew there was a problem they never thought their systems would still be in use in the year 2000. In some cases date related computing errors will occur before the Year 2000. For example, val- ues such as 99 are sometimes used for special pur- poses not related to the date. The number 99 is used in some systems as an expiration date for data to be archived permanently — so some computers may iose the data when 1999 is reached. In other situations, such as insurance compa- nies with multi-year policies or shipping companies with long-term schedules, firms will process year 2000 dates prior to reaching Jan. 1, 2000. The Millennium Bug affects almost all entitics. It is not limited to large companies that use main- frame computers. It affects organizations of any size that use any kind of computer or any kind of data-activated device. The Year 2000 problem can affect all business systems and computer processes. The failure of a small microprocessor, whose processing logic depends on dates, can have significant conse- quences. For example, when a business operates in a distributed processing environment, a communi- cations failure could have a significant impact on its entire information technology structure or a‘single computer controlled machine can shut down an entire manufacturing plant’s assembly line. The worst of the problem is that even if an organization can deal with its own in-house Year 2000 problems, it may still be affected by its sup- pliers and customers as data is often shared with many other organizations. On a personal basis, it should not be a problem to reprogram your VCR or bedside clock on Jan. 1, 2000, but for an ongoing business, there are some challenges and time is running out. The next Millennium Bug article, which will run in the News on Wednesday Oct. 7, will cover areas that should be investigated in your company. Darryl Craig is the president of Raven * Enginzering, a Canadian company that provides Systems Engineering, Software Support and Logistics Services. They are currently assisting several of their clients to solve their Year 2000 problems. He can be contacted via e-mail at dcraig@raven.ce Net shopping is no walk in the cyber mall IF. you are hooked on the Internet, you are probably being tempted to cyber-shop. Protect yourself and your business before you start buying those appealing products that may be too good to be true, The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to ensure your cyber- shopping experience is a good onc. Tin security. Consider a secure browser which encrypts or scrambles NEW AND USED PENTIUMS re me we purchase information and transactions. Stick to what you know. When you try a new business, check their reliabili- ty report at the Better Business Bureau at 682-271]. Check the address of the merchant's site. The Uniform Resources Locator (URL) ensures that you are dealing with the right company. It’s a good idea to print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records. FROM $449 ~ (speakers & monitors extra) SPEAKERS FROM $19.95 Le See eA Investigate the company’s refund policies before your place an order. Never give out your Internet pass- word. Create a phrase for a password. For example, “IMA*RU12?, I am a star, are you one too.” Use different - passwords for other sites. A red flag is waving if you are asked for your Social Insurance and bank account numbers to conduct a transac- tion. Con artists who have used other media to attract their victims are turn- ing to on-line for 4 new approach on old scams. If you need the merchandise in a rush, ask if your order can be rushed and at what additional cost. Know your rights. Under the law a company is required to ship the merchandise with- in the period advertised by the seller. If no tme is promised, the company should ship your order within 30 days after receiving it, or give you an option notice to cancel or wait. TOSHIBA PENTIUM 90 #& 32 MB RAM, 800 MB H/D, INCLUDES WINDOWS 95 $995 Bae host Ee ne Hot stuff can leavi you cold YOU'VE just bought new computer. You're thrilled about because it’s fast, has a lot memory and is loaded with hottest new software. You s¢ up at home. go to work next dav and brag about deal you got. “It’s a steal,” vou tell ye co-workers. And chances < you might not be exaggerat —it just may be a real st Every day many families br the law in their homes withe even knowing it. The latest statistics put rate of software theft in Can: at 39%. This cost the couna economy more than $425 rn lion in 1997 alone. These + tistics are alarming when co pared to the USS. piracy r which currently sits at 27%. If you knowingly install distribute counterteit softws you participate in illegal ace ty and put yourself at r Essentially you are telling yc children that some crimes OK. Besides being illegal: 3 unethical, pirating softw exposes you to technologi risks that can be costly 3 frustrating. With counter. . software you often get no te: nical support —— that me: there’s no one to call wr. ~ your software doesn’t work. There are several steps t you can take in order toensi |. - you are buying legal softwar). Understand the differer | |’ between retail and origi equipment (OEM) versions of the: sc ware products. The retail v0 +" sion is bought separately fic your computer as as cither new product or an upgrade. - : « When buying retail prod: - look for the following: @ multi-coloured retail box: @ a certificate of authentic label on the spine of the bo: §® software media, for exam a CD; “ end user licence agreemet @ a high quality manual. | When trying to determ: if a piece of OEM software authentic, look for the follo ing telling signs that the pre uct is, indeed authentic: @ the software will cor shrink-wrapped — without retail carton; @ a certificate of authentic on the front cover or inte ed into the front cover of 1 product manual; @ software media, for exany acn, @end user licence agreemet wn VCSMPUTER, STORE OOP ERE AINE ATONE SAA EES Late te ae manufactu : 1 RENNER ey Pit Im ’