## Welcome to our Letters Archive.

### Here is some of the mail we received in 1999.

2/05/99

#### THE OTHER SIDE OF Y2K

I am an ardent reader of the winds and appreciate the truth being out there. I find there is a lot of confusion concerning the Y2K problem because there are very few people who understand the low level computer architecture. I won't bore you with details. I will tell you that I work for a computer engineering company. We design hardware that is used in Mini computers. The same type that is used by powerplants (conventional and nuclear), banks, gov. agencys, and military. These computers are also used in Hollywood special effects studios. The point I'm getting to is that the Y2K problem was solved years (perhaps 10) ago. There really is no problem. The hardware date function is not going to cause your computer to explode on Jan. 1, 2000. The possibility exists where some of your date codes will come up 1900 but thats not going to crash anything. It is the panic causers and people who are trying to cash in on peoples ignorance that are the real problem. The people who cause a panic to sell an extraordinary amount of thier products which are the real problem.

Let me also address embedded controllers, what about them? Most embedded controllers like your cars computer or the dishwasher or the calculator, or the digital thermometer you use to monitor the garden, are all based on time not date, they could care less if it is 1900 or 2000, they will still work. Maybe it would be a refreshing break to go back to 1900 anyway. I, personally, have known about the Y2K bug since 1981, and many others have known since the begining of computing time. The problem is a lack of morals with respect to major ignorance. If you study the computer in scrutiny down to individual transistors, as I have, you know first hand there is no problem. It is a machine, It is fully programmable, It is fixable, and its easier than most people think. The fact that this problem has become a matter of casual conversation for the ignorant has magnified the panic beyond reasonable levels, relax, computers don't explode... If you want a easy fix, there are people who make a small add on card which converts the two digit year code to a four digit year code automatically. The fix is as simple as adding another card to your system.

Sincerely, Michael R. Wriston
"KiMichael"