Web Meets Y2K--The Sequel
By Ken North
Web commerce and most computing applications depend on the accuracy of date information, an issue that has drawn a lot of attention to the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem. Last month in this column we examined Y2K issues and how they affect database and Web developers. We discussed DBF files, SQL databases, and what some software vendors have done to address Y2K compliance. This month we continue to examine solutions adopted by software companies to provide Y2K compliance. Database developers may be writing more server-side code these days, but our server-side programs and scripts don't operate in a vacuum. Following up last month's discussion of SQL servers from Oracle, Sybase, and Informix, we'll look at other servers, database developer tools, browsers, operating systems, libraries, and other software.
Those in computing can't overlook the variety of solutions for interpreting dates having two-digit years (such as 10/11/76). Many software products use a pivot year that delineates a two-digit year beyond which dates are assumed to be within another century. Unfortunately, our industry didn't have the foresight to address the Y2K problem years ago and adopt a standard pivot year. When checking Y2K solutions used by operating systems, browsers, DBMS, and other software, you'll find a variety of pivot years being used.
Servers and Operating Systems
Operating systems commonly used for Web and database servers are of particular interest to Web developers.
