On This Day Pre-Y2K
Confused by any of the jargon you see below? Check the Y2K Glossary!
January 2, 1999 Permalink
I have been amazed, since the advent of the 3.5 floppy disk drive, that a tool as powerful as a computer (shortly before costing millions) would be ending up in the hands of millions of people who do not even understand the tool. They are about to get the education of a lifetime. I have a feeling that 1 year from today the 90% of the American people will understand computers/ the power of computers/ and the critical role they now play in our lives. They’ve used and benefited in more ways then they could ever imagine from this tool, while trying to pretend it isnt significant or important enough to learn to understand the tool.
The average American could tell you what’s under the hood in a car. But are computers important or critical enough for them to have learned what’s under the hood on their computer? They are about to learn.
—Y2K Whit, comp.software.year-2000, 01/02/99
For the past 18 months, since learning of the Y2K problem, I have been trying to convince all of my friends and neighbors to start preparing for serious consequences. They have tolerated me but their eyes glaze over when the subject is brought up. The subject is usually changed at the first opportunity. Some have even called me crazy.
With this weeks coverage in the mainstream media and especially all the major TV networks (Crossfire CNN, Talk Back Live CNN, a CNN Special, C-span, NBC, CBS, ABC, my area major newspaper with an editorial and 3 separate articles) I have suddenly been transformed from being crazy to becoming a prophet.
The problem I have with this is that I would be much happier if I were crazy.
—joewstout, comp.software.year-2000, 01/02/99
