There are doomsayers who are convinced the future impact will be critical, with computer meltdowns that will throw the world into death and chaos. There are others who believe the potential problems are being managed by brilliant technicians who have had years to prepare for any possibility of significant disruptions. They say the Y2K bug is little more than a scare tactic created by fearmongers. The next level of scary scenarios escalates to widespread power failures, operation failure of automated teller machines, the delay of government benefit checks and the bankruptcy of hundreds of businesses. Some dismiss such predictions as alarmist.
Large companies appear well on the way to solving the problem with time to spare.
The glitch won't have a dramatic impact on the global economy. Even if there are failures at some small businesses, the economy won't be sent into a tailspin. The Year 2000 Information Center recently quoted Leslie Schelp at Tandem Computers, who recently gave her blueprint for the attitude she thinks we need to carry with us until the Year 2000. We can be successful or we can survive or we can have anything in between but we make the choice of what it will be. There will be challenges but it will also be one of the most exciting days of my life.