Y2K Part Deux! (Daylight Savings Time)
Unreal.
How is it that there isn't a simple patch for this kind of stuff?
How is it that there isn't a simple patch for this kind of stuff?
Time warp feared
Remember all the headaches, fear and loathing over the Y2K bug? Well, get ready for Round 2.
Experts are warning of mass confusion come March 11, when the time springs forward by one hour.
That's because many computers aren't programmed to handle the earlier switch to daylight time, much like some machines weren't equipped to recognize the year 2000 at the turn of the millennium.
"It's massive - massive," said Simon Collier, who works in the academic information and communications technology department at the University of Alberta.
It's part of his job to get computers at the U of A ready for the change.
Prior to this year, daylight time kicked in the first Sunday in April. Following a U.S. lead, that's now been pushed up three weeks to the second Sunday in March.
Collier said this has caught many people off guard.
"With Y2K, people were ramping up for years," he told Sun Media.
"With this, people seem to have left it to the last minute."
He estimated 15,000 to 20,000 computers at the U of A will have to be updated, not including the machines owned by students. That all takes time, and costs money, Collier said.
Users of calendar programs will be the ones primarily affected by the software glitch.
Microsoft has already warned those users to view appointment times "as suspect," at least for the first three weeks after the daylight time change.
Software updates are available. But those with their automatic software update function turned off will have to seek out the proper updates manually.
The problem is expected to extend to BlackBerries and other digital devices, like VCRs and even some wall clocks.
Kate Rozmahel, the city's information technology branch manager, said city equipment has been upgraded as the new software patches become available.
But she said staff have been instructed to double- check the times of meetings set up before the updates were installed.
"We're asking all the city workers to just check the dates of their meetings, just to make sure they're correct," Rozmahel said.
Wayne Cameron, manager of Go Go Geek, which dispatches technicians to deal with computer problems, said most home users shouldn't be too concerned about the time change problem.
But, Cameron added: "I'm not sure what's going to happen ... Until this morning I had never thought about this."
Remember all the headaches, fear and loathing over the Y2K bug? Well, get ready for Round 2.
Experts are warning of mass confusion come March 11, when the time springs forward by one hour.
That's because many computers aren't programmed to handle the earlier switch to daylight time, much like some machines weren't equipped to recognize the year 2000 at the turn of the millennium.
"It's massive - massive," said Simon Collier, who works in the academic information and communications technology department at the University of Alberta.
It's part of his job to get computers at the U of A ready for the change.
Prior to this year, daylight time kicked in the first Sunday in April. Following a U.S. lead, that's now been pushed up three weeks to the second Sunday in March.
Collier said this has caught many people off guard.
"With Y2K, people were ramping up for years," he told Sun Media.
"With this, people seem to have left it to the last minute."
He estimated 15,000 to 20,000 computers at the U of A will have to be updated, not including the machines owned by students. That all takes time, and costs money, Collier said.
Users of calendar programs will be the ones primarily affected by the software glitch.
Microsoft has already warned those users to view appointment times "as suspect," at least for the first three weeks after the daylight time change.
Software updates are available. But those with their automatic software update function turned off will have to seek out the proper updates manually.
The problem is expected to extend to BlackBerries and other digital devices, like VCRs and even some wall clocks.
Kate Rozmahel, the city's information technology branch manager, said city equipment has been upgraded as the new software patches become available.
But she said staff have been instructed to double- check the times of meetings set up before the updates were installed.
"We're asking all the city workers to just check the dates of their meetings, just to make sure they're correct," Rozmahel said.
Wayne Cameron, manager of Go Go Geek, which dispatches technicians to deal with computer problems, said most home users shouldn't be too concerned about the time change problem.
But, Cameron added: "I'm not sure what's going to happen ... Until this morning I had never thought about this."
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