Another Embedded Systems Challenge

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Name one embedded system that could cause the lights, sewer or water to fail due to a Y2K bug ... and which wouldn't work next year if the date was set back.

No speculation. No guesses.

No links to "IF this isn't checked, it COULD cause problems ..."

Name ONE system. Make and model.

Just one.

-- Tell (me@someplace.net), September 15, 1999

Answers

Haven't you heard? Everything is 97 percent ready. Don't worry yourself about the details.

Is Peachbottom 2 back on line? Don't worry, be happy.

-- Tom Beckner (tbecker@xout.erols.com), September 15, 1999.


Dear Tell,

I don't know the model number or serial number, but its the one controlling your drinking water.

You might want to check. But then again, maybe they fixed it already.

Never mind. Go back to sleep. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

-- no talking please (breadlines@soupkitchen.gov), September 16, 1999.


Why does it need to be an embedded system? What about the sewer spill, or the "mainframe" that dumped, what was it, 100,000 or 2, gallons of gas, and 3 kids died?

Are you new here? An "embedded system" is just another "node" on the network, just one more possible point of failure. Like a BIOS, or OS, or application, or server, or mainframe, or many other digital things, including communications systems. It's all got to work, together. Will it? If it doesn't, how much can fail before it hurts?

Can we talk? Or don't you think that the problem is real?

Tick... tock... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 16, 1999.


{Polly skepticism mode on}

The world is round? Nonsense! Prove it. No quotes from those 'experts' in encyclopedias. I won't believe it till I see the flight plan for a plane that's circumnavigated the so-called globe!

{Polly skepticism mode off}

-- A skeptic (I'm@from.missouri), September 16, 1999.


http://www.iee.org.uk/2000risk/Casebook/eg_index.htm#TopOfPage Here is a bunch of problems with embedded systems. Now, I am sure that it does not matter to you because there are no model numbers provided. And what those Electrical Engineers from GB could possibly know about embedded systems.

-- Boris (MSIS@cyberdude.com), September 16, 1999.


I would say that the good folks at both of the following links should be considered a credible source of information:

http://www.govexec.com/tech/articles/0199mantech2.htm

http://www.ngb.dtic.mil/y2k/closer.htm

And, I attended a Y2K "Community Conversation" in my area yesterday, and the water company had this info on one the slides in its presentation:

The LWC is affected by these year 2000 issues in the following way:

[snip]

Microchip based process control systems

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 16, 1999.


You make just one assumption...that it will be turned back in time...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 16, 1999.

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