Brian, et. al.
I have been required to keep informed on Y2K issues since I am Systems
Engineer for a Chicago investment management firm. I have to say in all
that I've seen and read, that there are more date sensitive "embedded
systems" out there than you might imagine. Now these embedded systems
may not bring the stock market to a crashing hault or make all of your
bills a century past due, but it could cause at the very least, minor
annoyances. The more obvious date sensitive software are in the
lime-light and are at the heart of doom-sayers concerns, that is to say
operating systems, databases, calendars, etc, etc...
Computerized components on autos are just one example...again these
probably won't be "haulting" problems, but could cause
problems...consider any elector-mechanicle device you might use each
day. The relatively newer devices are almost gauranteed to have silicone
in them and where there's silicone, there's firmware (code embedded into
the hardware, hence "embedded systems"); the extent of the depency on
Y2K compliant code depends entirely on what the manufacturer has
programmed into the firmware...could be very date sensitive, maybe not.
An elevator might have a date routine built into it that alerts a
mechanic to service required at a certain time interval - if not Y2K
compliant, could turn ugly. (this is just an example)
My whole point... don't just shrug it off; you don't know HOW dependent
an electro-mechanicle device is on Y2K compliance unless you built it.
We'll find out just how responsible the manufacturers are after the
fact, but I imagine they will know what they have and at least identify
the problems, if not have them fixed in time...
Just my $.02 or $.04 or $.06
Vic
Brian Furgalus wrote:
>
> Just for the heck of it, I emailed this guy, and here is what I got...
>
> Marv Ray wrote:
> >
> > In some cases a BCM (Body Control Module) is the heart of the vehicles
> > computer network. And on some models the display does show a day, month and
> > year. Ve-tronics the maker of test equipment tools for GM (Tech 1 Tech 2)
> > has said some BCMs will in fact have to be reprogrammed through the PCM. GM
> > has stated that some of the Voice Recognition BCMs may also have a problem.
> >
> > Marv
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Brian Furgalus <mowog@usa.net>
> > To: BigM@ADIauto.com <BigM@ADIauto.com>
> > Date: Friday, January 22, 1999 11:58 AM
> > Subject: Y2K Compliance
> >
> > >I must say, how could a car NOT be Y2K compliant? Last I checked, there
> > >are NO computerized calendars on my "computer-controlled" honda! Even if
> > >there were, I don't see how you could say it's not compliant. The car
> > >doesn't have to talk to other cars, so who cares if it thinks it's 1900 ot
> > >2000! And anyways, this socalled "probmem" really only affects the IBM PC
> > >market, and not necessarily ALL omputers. Only if the computer has a
> > >calendar in it to keep track of the date will there be preblems, and even
> > >then, only if it has to communicate with another computer, and has to
> > >commmunicate the DATE. Otherwise, there would be no effect. I'd like to
> > >see an example of a car that will NOT function when the year changes!
> > >Besides, the computer in a car only manages fuel mapping, spark, etc.., and
> > >why doul it need to know what year it is to do that????
> > >
> > >Brian Furgalus
> > >
> > >"A Gentleman does not motor about after dark." - Joseph Lucas
> > >
> > >
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