This isn't exactly Y2K, but it may have some impact on our lives! :-)
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Stop the US daylight saving madness!
It's a Topsy-Turvy world and that's a fact
Published Tuesday 6th February 2007 18:45 GMT
US plans to change daylight saving hours this spring could wreak havoc
on computer systems, Gartner claims. The analyst firm said automated
systems could run haywire this March.
Disruptions could affect calendars, billing programs and security
systems, as well as undermining automated trading systems.
This year daylight saving time (DST), which puts the clocks forward one
hour in spring and back an hour in autumn, will begin earlier and
finish later in the US. It will start on the second Sunday in March,
rather than the first Sunday in April, and end on the first Sunday in
November, rather than the last Sunday in October.
Gartner has discovered that few organisations have put systems in place
to deal with the change, and few may even be aware that such a change
is planned.
According to Gartner, the dangers could include incorrect travel times
in systems in the travel industry; late scheduled payments in the
banking industry; botched automated trades in the financial sector; and
phone companies incorrectly charging peak and off-peak rates. Not all
the issued patches will work. Many will ensure that future appointments
will take account of the change but will not change previously made
appointments.
