ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 TAG: 9703250098
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
The year 2000 computer problem, long thought to bedevil old mainframe computers, might also curse a host of household appliances such as security alarm systems, VCRs and microwave ovens, two congressmen said Monday.
``The potential scope of this situation is vast,'' Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Calif., said of the looming problem of computers adapting to the year 2000 changeover. ``Date conversion failure may corrupt important data and cause a variety of products to shut down entirely.''
Many old computers recognize dates in two-digit formats and will run awry after the stroke of midnight in 2000. For example, the computers use 97 for 1997. These computers will be unable to distinguish the year 2000 from 1900 or 2003 from 1903.
The Office of Management and Budget estimates it will cost $2.3 billion to avert widespread government computer crashes from what's being called the ``millennium crisis.''
Horn and Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican from Fairfax County, Va., pointed out the problem also can plague programmed ``read only memory'' microchips buried in VCRs, microwaves, fax machines and other devices.
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LENGTH: Short : 32 linesby CNB