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Bob Anibal, I agree completely with what you said in your post (as does the retired Cobol programer I live with). I'd like to add that the way the problem is filtering down from the mainframe systems to the embedded systems and computer chips that are embedded in almost everything in this highly technical age we live in is where the problem is going to affect your and my everyday lives. Healthcare and possible availability of drugs may be affected. This is what Phil Tompkins was trying to bring to the list's attention. The repair of the Year 2000 Problem is the largest software maintenance project in history. It is certain the repairs being implemented to correct Y2K problems will be imperfect. The Embedded Systems problems remain the greatest concern to the public. I have family members who are dependent on medications, who can not live or function thru a shortage of supply. Specifically, 3 Diabetics on Regular and long acting injections of insulin, 3 on oral insulin, an Epileptic on anti-seizure meds for grand mal seizures, 3 with Heart problems requiring beta-blockers to control dangerous cardiac arryhthmias, a Parkinson patient on Mirapex to enable movement, a Multiple Sclerosis patient on multiple meds (one to control blood pressure), an Asthmatic needing bronchodilator inhalers, my Mother is on portable oxygen...as you can see, my concerns won't go away easily. "The average person's life is affected by more than 70 microchips daily". Embedded Systems cannot all be corrected in time. There are 25 billion chips worldwide. Follow these discussions, it's important to understand. My concern is with Y2K and embedded microchips in relation to supply, manufacture, production, distribution and transportation of these and other critical medications and pharmaceutical supplies. http://www.iee.org.uk/2000risk/guide/year2k10.htm http://ipn.intelihealth.com/ipn/ihtIPN?c=192571 Supply chain relationships are subject to Year 2000 sensitivity and may affect systems, plant and equipment and their safety in a number of ways. They will be of particular concern in companies which operate on a 'just-in-time' basis. These are services that deliberately keep stocks low to prevent waste, spoilage and storage costs. Over the past generation, for complex reasons, American management has preferred frequent, rapid deliveries of small quantities of supplies - truckloads - to infrequent, slow, deliveries of large quantities - trainloads. This relates to transportation systems and warehousing. The general term surrounding this is JIT - Just-In-Time Inventory systems. Many of our businesses operate this way, hospitals and pharmacies do. I think many practives will contribute to the problem and a domino effect can occur in manufacturing, transportation, communication and utilities...which in turn may disrupt medication production, food distribution, trade of all kinds. Everything is so interconnected and if each business was to be able to 'clean itself up' individually there will be no means to test between systems until the clock changes Jan 1st. The following examples are real problems which Year 2000 Program Managers have been considering: (a) Breakdown of suppliers’ systems resulting in inability to supply raw material, other supplies, or services (b) Breakdown of customers’ systems resulting in their inability to accept products (c) Cessation of trading by suppliers. It has been suggested that some companies may cease to trade in order to avoid their liabilities (d) Breakdown of customers’ and suppliers’ computer systems resulting in inability to supply or receive data in electronic form (e) Suppliers’ non-compliant data; customers’ inability to accept your data because it is non-compliant or alternatively because it is compliant but their system is not. Manufacturing plants, Water and sewage systems, Power stations and Power grid systems, Oil refineries and related storage facilities, Automated factories, Transportation, Security Systems, Communication on all levels, Satellites, Defence Systems...the list goes on and on. These questions came up because of all the health problems in our family. Well we read information available on the web, started talking, and have been reaching out for solutions. We all had to go through periods of denial, shock, anger, panic, disbelief and then got to the point that we were ready to talk and look for ways to deal with the problems and look for solutions. (I will say that I believe that the internet is going to be the best source of accurate information...free speach and exchange of ideas without controls and censoring are available only here these days. Does it really reassure you when our President says, " "Trust me, we'll have this fixed by December 1998; tested by December 1999 and on line and functioning globally by January 1, 2000.") http://www.nytsyn.com/live/Latest/205_072497_152200_8577.html http://www.forbes.com/forbes/98/0420/6108037a.htm http://www.y2ktimebomb.com/Economy/Predictions/jpeter9827.htm (this is #3 of a 5 part article, all five are excellently written) "The Social Security Administration began working on its thirty million lines of code in 1991. After five years of work, in June, 1996, four hundred programmers had fixed only six million lines. The IRS has 88,000 programs on 80 mainframe computers to debug. By the end of last year they had cleaned up 2,000 programs." Will all these concerns raised materialize? I don't know. So I try to avoid arguing with people. In this matter I say, let each person do his own research as he sees fit and act accordingly. I cherish free speech and open discussion. I want to be informed and decide for myself. "First of all, it doesn't matter what you or I conclude, because our opinions can't change what will happen to the big picture. So it doesn't matter if I convince you that the sky is falling or that it isn't. You don't need my conclusions because you are smart enough to look around and decide for yourself. You don't need to be an expert to do this basic research. Anyone can read up on embedded systems, read the banking and state reports, look into the utilities and telecommunications issue and get a grasp of the magnitude of the domino effect. Major healthcare news groups are discussing contigency plans for critical medication shortages." You can chose to do some primary investigation yourself (and if you want me to, I can send you pertinent info as I find it). You can make some defensive moves 'in case' to protect yourself and your family from possible shortages during the middle of winter or not. You can talk with your community leaders and ask about contigency planning or not...the choice is yours. This is a constantly updated issue, answers given months ago are being changed as new information surfaces and people become aware of additional facts. So folks the date Jan 1, 2000 is just the tip of the iceberg. Some believe some problems will begin by the end of 1998. - Health Care Year 2000 Discussion Forum - http://www.rx2000.org "Y2K is a technology-induced problem, but it will not and cannot be solved by technology. It creates societal problems that can only be solved by humans. We must all work together." Thanks to those who took the time to read my massive missive. Your cyber sis, Gail Vass, R.N.