From ZD Net UK

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 07:18:34 GMT

Jane Wakefield

Is it a bug, or isn't it? Don't ask the Office of National Statistics, it's a load of trash... Jane Wakefield reports The government admitted to ZDNet UK News Tuesday that it has been the victim of the millennium bug -- although it is still confused about how to recognise exactly what a millennium bug is. The Office of National Statistics confirmed it experienced a "date change glitch", which saw computers in registry offices up and down the country printing incorrect dates on birth certificates. Anybody requesting a birth certificate after January 1 2000 were sent hand written copies because affected computers printed out copies dated 2200. Initially a spokesman claimed it had nothing to do with the millennium bug. "This is a non-millennium problem, it is a software issue. It is not about hardware or embedded software," he said. Later the same spokesman admitted it might be a Y2K issue. "It has very little to do with the millennium bug," he said. Later the spokesman conceded it was impossible to tell what caused the problem. "I can't tell you it is definitely not [a millennium bug issue]. Who is to say what is and what isn't," he said. "It is a very trivial error. The idea that thousands of babies have got hundred year old birth certificates is complete trash," he said. A Cabinet Office spokesman was more willing to put the glitch down to Y2K. "This is the type of minor glitch we thought likely to occur," he said. He also admitted there had been others, but could only offer one solid example. "Aberdeen weather centre found the bug had affected its observation equipment. They phoned in the weather reports while the equipment was fixed," he said. Have you had any Y2K "glitches"... more to the point, will you admit to them? Tell the Mailroom

Link to story:

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2000/2/ns-12739.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 19, 2000

Answers

Carl:

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes people not trust what TPTB tell them. This is obviously a Y2K problem - typical of the types of problems that have cropped up so far. There was no reason why they just couldn't have said "Yes, it was a Y2K problem and we fixed it" rather than this line of bull from a PR flack. When you lie about little things, people will assume, with some justification, that you're lying about big things. Grrr....

Jim

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), January 19, 2000.

Aloha Jim, Could agree with you more. That's why it's so important to documment what's happening.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 19, 2000.