Archive for February, 2007

It seems like we’re on the cusp of another computer date scare. This time it’s related to daylight savings time. Last year, Congress decided that they wanted DST to be 4 weeks longer going forward. Instead of providing a year or so to adjust and test, it’s happening this year. Hold on tight.

Read this article on the Daylight Savings Time Change from the Boston Globe

So, March 11th, we’ll be springing forward into what could be a series of disasters as some systems may automatically adjust and some may not. What happens when one system thinks it’s 9:00 am and another thinks it’s 10:00 am and a decision must be made that may put lives or fortunes in danger?
It’s always difficult to tell what the impact of something like this might be, but just stop to think of the impact that the Y2K bug had on our society and how many systems rely on clocks (all) and how many computer systems rely on dates (e.g., flight control, banking systems, etc.) to make critical decisions.

I think the most nefarious thing about the DST issue is that people may ignore it altogether, thinking that someone else will take care of it or that it’s a ‘false alarm’ like the Y2K bug. I personally would not schedule any travel for the 10th, 11th or 12th of March this year.