Year 2000: Action Plan to Avert a Crisis

Pandemonium predictions about the Y2K computer problem are reaching near-Biblical proportions--airplanes will fall from the sky, nuclear plants will meltdown, bank doors will close and prison doors will swing open--all because antiquated computer code isn't prepared for a date change with double zeros in the year position. The Millennium Bug-busting in this video is focused on management strategies to avoid potential business chaos rather than programming fix-its for infected code. A pert host, aided with crafty graphics and cogent dramatizations, outlines systematic procedures companies should follow to obtain computational compliance and avoid costly date conversion glitches. Staffing, outsourcing, and a unique cost formula for upgrading based on the total lines of code a given company uses are discussed in detail, as is the most ominous threat faced by a non-compliant firm: liability lawsuits by legal eagles planning to feast off the Millennium Bug until retirement. The video is well-made, but hampered by a short shelf life and a probably-too-late-to-start-all-this-now release date. Although not a necessary purchase for public libraries, this Y2K guide may B-OK for "just-in-time"-managed companies. Aud: C, P. (W. Pierce)