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This list of six myths appears on the state of Minnesota's Web site.
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IT’S ONLY A MAINFRAME PROBLEM. WRONG!
The Millenium Bug infects all kinds of computers (including personal computers), popular software applications, and it can strike computerized equipment such as traffic lights, medical lab equipment, elevators, and building heating and cooling systems. Even new technology is affected. Many recently purchased personal computers will not roll over to the new century without a Year 2000 fix! All technology must be evaluated.
IT’S ONLY A TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM. WRONG!
The Year 2000 Problem is a statewide business problem. If the technology problem is not addressed by government agencies and their business partners, suppliers, and service providers, it will impact government’s ability to deliver the essential services that citizens expect and rely upon.
SOMEONE WILL INVENT A QUICK FIX. WRONG!
There is no overall quick fix solution to this problem because too many different kinds of computers and equipment are affected. Hard work and a systematic approach is required to find, fix and test all occurrences of the problem. Government agencies may be using tools to help speed up the process but there is no silver bullet fix.
WE HAVE UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2000 TO FIX IT. WRONG!
Computer information systems can fail now and some have failed already. The reason business transactions often project into the future. For example, government agencies grant licenses to citizens that expire at some future date. In addition, the Year 2000 Problem may cause severe resource shortages because it is being experienced on a world-wide basis and suppliers may not be able to meet the demand. The longer that government agencies wait to address the Year 2000 Problem, the more likely success will be negatively impacted by rising costs and shortages.
IT’S SOMEONE ELSE'S RESPONSIBILITY. WRONG!
At a minimum, we all have a responsibility to understand the issue, help find the problems, and assist Year 2000 project teams. Success depends on a collaboration of all agency personnel, including executive leadership, business managers, legal counsel, project managers, technical resources, facilities managers, contract managers, and human resources personnel.
MY AGENCY’S TECHNOLOGY IS COMPLIANT, SO THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO DO. WRONG!
Testing and contingency planning are major components of all Year 2000 projects. Industry experts agree that testing is 50-60% of the effort and that all of 1999 should be devoted to validating that technology is indeed compliant. No matter how well agencies have planned for Year 2000 conversions, failures may still occur as a result of unanticipated errors, or non-compliant service providers or business partners. Agencies must have well-documented backup plans for mission critical systems.
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