By Rachel Chalmers
Famed Canadian Y2K pundit Peter de Jager says the Millennium Bug will not, repeat, not bring about the end of the world as we know it. Though de Jager has often been seen as one of the most credible of the two-digit-datefield doomsayers, he is now copping flak for having changed his mind. He remains philosophical: Naturally, any good news about Y2K spoils the fun and intentions of those trying to incite panics and runs on the bank, he writes.
Though many companies are still in denial about the extent of the problem, de Jager reasons that the most essential infrastructure is now in good shape. Throughout all of this, my primary concern was with the Iron Triangle, he explains, the three industries which must operate daily, or very quickly society begins to unravel at the seams. They are, in no particular order; Finance, Telecommunications and Power companies.
The finance industry will have problems, but they will not be catastrophic, de Jager says. For the record, my money will remain in the bank. He believes that telecommunications companies also have the most important services under control. Dial tone is secure, but don’t expect your bills on time…. Finally? The big bugaboo, the power industry. I wish I were as confident here, he writes. But private conversations have persuaded him that energy companies are compliant. It is only their cautious lawyers, he says, that make their public statements so equivocal.
Of course the Iron Triangle does not make up the sum total of our computer dependence, de Jager readily concedes, there are other industries, there are global interdependencies and there are market issues, etc. I haven’t ignored these in my analysis. I’d like to suggest we’re a bit more resilient than some would have us believe. So there you have it.
