Y2K

The term Year 2000 bug, also known as the millennium bug and abbreviated as Y2K, referred to potential computer problems which might have resulted when dates used in computer systems moved from the year 1999 to the year 2000.

In the early days of electronic computers, memory was expensive so, in order to save space, programmers abbreviated the four-digit year designation and stored only the final two digits. For example, computers recognized “98” as “1998.” How programs interpret “00” when the date changed to the year 2000? Would “00” be translated as 0000, 1000, 1900, or 2000? (Early in 1999, Computer Chronicles host Stewart Cheifet became aware of the possible problem when he received a credit card from a major gasoline company with an expiration date of 1000.)

Mainframe computers in use in important areas such as banking, utilities, communications, insurance, manufacturing, and government were considered the most vulnerable. The problem was not only with systems running conventional software, but it extended to devices such as medical equipment, temperature-control systems, and elevators which used computer chips.

The fear was that when clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000, affected computer systems, unsure of the year, would fail to operate and cause massive power outages, transportation systems to shut down, and banks to close. Widespread chaos would ensue.

Research firm Gartner estimated the cost of Y2K remediation to be $300 - $600 billion. Businesses and government organizations created special technology teams to ensure that all hardware and software was Y2K compliant (Y2KC). The goal was to check every system that relied on dates, before midnight December 31, 1999. In some cases, the fix was to replace outdated hardware and/or software. Other cases required time-consuming analysis of program code, replacing or rewriting code as needed, and the testing of hardware reliant on computer chips.

In October 1998, the US government passed the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act. The purpose of the act was to encourage companies to share information about the status of their Year 2000 compliance efforts. It also provided some protection against false compliance statements and limited liability for companies issuing Year 2000 Readiness Disclosures.

By December 1998, in response to growing uncertainty regarding the effect of Y2K on the world economy and physical infrastructure, the United Nations convened an international conference on Y2K for its members to share information and report on remediation efforts.

Donors of Y2K objects expressed how all-consuming their Y2K remediation projects were, literally overtaking every aspect of their lives. The project had no room for error and a fixed deadline that could not be extended. The doom, spread through media outlets, added to the overall fear of major system failures. Monarch Home Video, a commercial film producer, released one of the few Y2K themed products with their 1999 one-hour “family survival guide” video. Actor Leonard Nimoy narrated the show, and in a slow, controlled voice, described the disasters the world was about to face.

There were in fact some minor disruptions, mainly in small businesses, but no major end-of-the-world events or significant issues occurred at 12:00 AM on January 1, 2000. Some hailed the Y2K update efforts an overall success, yet others remained skeptical and still considered the issue a hoax. In any case, the bug had caused no epidemic of failures.

References: [last accessed 2019-09-11]

  • https://corporate.findlaw.com/law-library/year-2000-information-and-readiness-disclosure-act.html
  • https://www.britannica.com/technology/Y2K-bug
  • https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/y/y2k.htm
  • http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9903/15/rippley2k.idg/
  • https://www.computerworld.com.au/article/108362/ripple_effect_y2k_supply_chain/
  • https://news.avclub.com/let-s-remember-the-quaint-apocalyptic-hysteria-of-the-y-1798260073 [includes the video “Y2K Family Survival Guide” with Leonard Nimoy, 1999; 1 hour video]
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAFIsPX3_3A [Computer Chronicles – Year 2000 – 30 min video]
  • https://www.sec.gov/news/extra/y2k/mktwplan.htm
  • https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/02/07/272831/index.htm
  • https://news.avclub.com/looking-back-at-all-the-ways-y2k-was-used-to-sell-us-sh-1836982164
  • https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Y2K-Angst-Spooks-Merchandisers-Companies-avoid-2906421.php
  • https://www.zazzle.com/y2k_bumper_sticker-128586199957014928
  • http://www.cnn.com/US/9906/09/y2k.wacky/
  • https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/y2k-the-game-review/1900-2532010/
Search term: *:* Topic: Y2K Museum / Unit: NMAH Museum / Unit: NMAH-AF Museum / Unit: NMAHLC YT Museum / Unit: NMAH BL Museum / Unit: NMAH YT Museum / Unit: ACAH Set Name: Advertising Clear All

Computer Vendor Information Literature

Included in this 17-piece collection of computer vendor literature are examples of Y2K focused company advertising.Peregrine Systems, offered ServiceCenter 2000 Y2K Crisis Management software that provided businesses with a central point for managing, analyzing, tracking and repo
Description
Included in this 17-piece collection of computer vendor literature are examples of Y2K focused company advertising.
Peregrine Systems, offered ServiceCenter 2000 Y2K Crisis Management software that provided businesses with a central point for managing, analyzing, tracking and reporting on Y2K issue remediation. This product could also be used after the Y2K crisis to document and respond to day-to-day emergencies.
Nortel Networks promoted a trade-in rebate program to make upgrading network technology to Y2K compliant hardware more affordable. Not only would they buy back in part their own products, they would do the same for those of competitors. The program was advertised as a Y2K-preparedness strategy.
IBM’s 31-page brochure stated “IBM e-business tools are ready for the year 2000. How ready are you?” This literature was directed toward small and medium-sized companies and described the various Y2K compliant hardware, software, and services available to them.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2007.3054.09
nonaccession number
2007.3054
catalog number
2007.3054.09

Cheerios Millennios Cereal Box

The coming of the new millennium generated few examples of themed merchandise. There was speculation that the negativity associated with the Y2K bug would do little to produce strong sales.
Description
The coming of the new millennium generated few examples of themed merchandise. There was speculation that the negativity associated with the Y2K bug would do little to produce strong sales. This notion was supported by JC Penney’s failed attempt to sell pillows, throws, dresses, and countdown clocks carrying the “01-01-00” graphic. General Mills, Inc., however, came up with the idea of adding a sweetened cereal in the shape of the numeral “2” to their standard Cheerios brand. They packaged this cereal in a shiny purple box and called it Millennios. Printed on the back of the box were seven predictions of future events, with space left to fill in the year. Predictions include “By ___ everyone will be driving electric cars” and “By ___ people will be able to teleport from one place to another.” This box, made for sale in Canada, is written in English and French.
References: [last accessed 2019-09-18]
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Y2K-Angst-Spooks-Merchandisers-Companies-avoid-2906421.php
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2007.3054.01
catalog number
2007.3054.01
nonaccession number
2007.3054

Computer Associates Y2K Advertisement

This Y2K advertisment was from Computer Associates, a system and application software company now owned by Broadcom of California. The front features a man standing before a very large chalk board pointing to an endlessly long scientific equation.
Description
This Y2K advertisment was from Computer Associates, a system and application software company now owned by Broadcom of California. The front features a man standing before a very large chalk board pointing to an endlessly long scientific equation. Below the image it reads: “And Now, A Simple Explanation Of How To Prepare For The Upcoming Century Date Change.” On the reverse is a letter from the company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Rich Chiarello. The letter invites readers to attend a free 7-hour seminar titled “The CA Discovery 2000 Seminar.” Participants would learn the size of the problem, available options, where to start, and how much it would cost to remediate their Y2K problems.
References: [last accessed 2019-09-24]
https://www.newsday.com/business/technology/ca-computer-associates-broadcom-1.19772182
https://tdwi.org/Articles/2018/09/06/BIZ-ALL-CA-Technologies-Acquirer-to-be-Acquired.aspx
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
Computer Associates
ID Number
2004.3020.09
catalog number
2004.3020.09
nonaccession number
2004.3020

The Guardian IMY2KC Baseball Cap

In the early days of electronic computers, memory was not as efficient or inexpensive as it is today. To save memory space, programs stored as few digits as possible for dates. In COBOL, for instance, January 1, 1999, was stored as 010199.
Description
In the early days of electronic computers, memory was not as efficient or inexpensive as it is today. To save memory space, programs stored as few digits as possible for dates. In COBOL, for instance, January 1, 1999, was stored as 010199. As Year 2000, or Y2K for short, approached, it became apparent that there might be serious problems because many large-scale systems were based on older programs. Simply, the problem with storing only two digits for the year is that a year written as “00” might be read by a computer as the year 1900 instead of the year 2000. If left unfixed, computer hardware, software, and communications worldwide could have malfunctioned. The impact of the “Millennium Bug” might have been catastrophic because the use of computers and networks has become integral to our lives: banking, communications, transportation, medicine, and even cooking is rarely done without some kind of computerized assistance.
To fix this potential problem, governments and businesses began operations in the 1990s to make sure all necessary computer systems had been checked or converted to new systems to minimize loss of services. The Guardian Life Insurance Company is an example of a large business that needed to fix their systems. The company's Y2K Project Team analyzed over 20 million lines of code and over 17 thousand computer programs and verified that all of their systems were in compliance and ready to go by December 31, 1999. To approach their goals, the Y2K Project Team distributed these baseball caps to internal departments as their systems were confirmed Y2K-compliant. This worked to foster healthy internal competition and cooperation at Guardian and helped the team complete its task. The embroidered letters on the front of each cap read “IMY2KC,” which stands for “I am Y2K Complaint.” The embroidered letters on the back of the cap read “RU,” which stands for “Are you?”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1999
maker
Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
ID Number
2004.3020.01
nonaccession number
2004.3020
catalog number
2004.3020.01

Y2K Sandglass

One of the many computer companies offering products or services to assist with transitioning to the year 2000 was TSR, Inc. They provided “Catch 21” a Y2K software solution for IBM-based computer systems.
Description
One of the many computer companies offering products or services to assist with transitioning to the year 2000 was TSR, Inc. They provided “Catch 21” a Y2K software solution for IBM-based computer systems. Although Guardian Life Insurance Company did not use the software, they did use the TSR marketing gift, a three-minute sand timer encased in clear and blue acrylic.
Since the Y2K project had an unchangeable completion date, deadlines had to be met, decisions needed to be made without delay, and the people who could make high level decisions had to attend scheduled meetings. This sand timer was used at several meetings to reinforce these points. If given a response of “we need to get back to you,” the Assistant Project Director would set the timer on the table and give them until the sand ran out for a decision.
The project was completed on time and Guardian encountered no application outages or loss of business with the transition to the new millennium!
References: [last accessed 2019-09-23]
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/tsr-inc-announces-retirement-of-chairman-ceo-joseph-f-hughes-2017-07-05
https://trsconsulting.com/trs-consulting-about-us/
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
TSR Hobbies
ID Number
2004.3020.07
nonaccession number
2004.3020
catalog number
2004.3020.07

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