Monday, February 28, 2000
Y2K, the sequel
Few worried about leap day glitches
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Leap year's extra day arrives Tuesday carrying the possibility of Y2K-like glitches. But given the calm that greeted the new millennium, few computer consultants are worried this time.
There's no government call to stock up on food or water. Any problems will likely affect billing and office systems rather than power supply or airplanes.
Still, Y2K planners will be watching, if for no other reason than to celebrate.
“Once we're through ... the chances of multiple failures and multiple problems at once become almost nonexistent,” said Kendra Martin, spokeswoman for the American Petroleum Institute.
Computers long have had trouble registering Feb. 29 — treating it as March 1, or March 1 as Feb. 30 — and there are greater risks of programming errors this year because 2000 is an exception to an exception. An extra day is added every four years, except for years that end in “00” unless divisible by 400. So 2000 is a leap year, but 1900 was not.
“I can't imagine there would be any Y2K consultant irresponsible enough to fix New Year's Eve and not, while he's there, do something about Feb. 29,” said Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, who heads the Senate's Y2K advisory committee.
In fact, the extra attention might make Tuesday's transition smoother, said Matt Hotle, research director for the technology consulting firm Gartner Group.
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