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News > Technology
Millennium bug for 1999?
June 17, 1997: 8:32 a.m. ET

Experts discover software coding that could end programs in September 1999
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Computer programmers who are dreading the "millennium bug" in the year 2000 may have to step up their worrying by a year.
     Computer experts have discovered that the custom of 1970s software programmers who entered 999999, equivalent to the date September 9, 1999, will cause problems when that date occurs, the Financial Times said Tuesday.
     The programmers used that coding to indicate the end of a project or set of records. The numerals 000000 were used for the first file and 999999 represented the software version of a full stop. Those who wrote the programs never thought their software still would be in use in 1999.
     However, for all the advances that have been made in computing, many companies continue to use the older programs either through habit or because the software is still usable for their purposes.
     The practice, which also lead to the so-called "millennium bug" due to affect systems in the year 2000, came about as programmers tried to deal with limitations in software and memory.
     Elaine Eustace, head of the Year 2000 team at European computing company CMG, told the Financial Times the problem isn't difficult to correct, but needs to be recognized.
     "There is only a year and a half to go until the beginning of 1999 and, with other well-documented issues to be managed in conjunction with this, it does not give anyone much breathing space," she says. Back to top

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.