Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for March 9, 2007 Y2K2

Be very...unafraid.

Most cell phones and computers will automatically upgrade. If not...what's one more clock to set!

From the Southern Illinoisan...

Y2K2 expected to have little impact on home computer users

BY BECKY MALKOVICH, THE SOUTHERN While some people are welcoming this weekend's early switchover to Daylight Savings Time, others - especially those who oversee large computer networks - are scrambling to make sure they have their technological ducks in a row.

The switch comes at 2 a.m. Sunday, three weeks earlier than normal, and will last through Nov. 4, one week later than usual. The change was initiated to help reduce energy consumption by upping the hours of daylight.

Most experts agree the change will have little of the predicted impact of Y2K, the millennium bug that was expected to cause major problems for computer applications at the start of the year 2000.

However, the DST switch, also called mini-Y2K or Y2K2, is expected to be a nuisance for users of computers, BlackBerries, PDAs or personal digital assistants, and other home electronics.

"It certainly does not have the potential impact of Y2K," said Robin Pauls, associate dean of information technology at John A. Logan College. "I'm not a betting man, but I think at worst, it will be a nuisance. Your DVRs and camera systems may be off by an hour unless you manually change them. But even then, they would only be off by an hour for three weeks until the usual start of the time change when they would be programmed to change anyway."

Most home computers also will need to be updated, according to Richard Fitts of Clean Graphics Consulting, a Web development and computer consulting company based in Harrisburg.

"If you are running Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional and you use the 'automatic update' feature, you are in the clear because Microsoft will send a daylight-saving patch to users without them even knowing it," Fitts said. "Simply turn on your automatic updates, and the patch will be waiting. Then, install the patch on your computer."

Microsoft's online update page, http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst, has more information on what devices will be affected.

Microsoft's Vista was completed after the change was enacted, so it's already programmed to make the time change on the right dates, Fitts said.

MAC OS X users should be familiar with the updating process of their systems. MAC OS X users who use 10.4.5 can update their computer software at http://www.apple.com/support/downloads.

Certain businesses may feel the change more acutely than others, especially those that rely on time stamps and accurate scheduling, said Frank Sears, vice president of information technology of Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Sears said SIH took measures early on to prepare for the change that would affect not only the 1,700 PCs in the organization but also software, hardware and other technology.

"A lot of the systems used in health care rely on accurate time information, from patient registration or appointment scheduling to more serious services," he said.

Most cell phone carriers have already automatically updated their systems to reflect the change, said Brenda Hill of Verizon Wireless.

"Our customers' phone handsets will automatically switch over to the new time," she said. "The exceptions are BlackBerries or PDAs. Those customers do need to download a 'patch' that will update the time for them."

She said certain applications may also be affected such as e-mail or calendar and scheduling tools.

Hill said information on obtaining a patch may be gotten at the Web sites of the device manufacturers or by visiting www.verizonwireless.com/dst.

"The bottom line is to realize that all time systems will be affected," Fitts said.