I wasn't sure, either. I knew that my systems would be fine, as I'd spent much of 1999 investigating the computers, heating and cooling controls, alarm systems, telephone systems, and other devices in use in my workplace. Those I found to be iffy or just plain wrong, I had replaced. A few items in our proprietary retail software I recoded, just in case, but our software vendor delivered fixes well in advance of the critical day. Probably the most significant precaution we took was gaining access to alternate sources of fuel for our delivery trucks, because most gas stations were using electronic controls of unkown origin. The City Yard uses mechanical pumps, and we worked out a deal to be allowed to buy from them in case our usual supply broke down. The systems of others I did not know about. I know that code I wrote 20 years ago would break, because the operating systems we used didn't support long dates. But I had no reason to expect that they were still in use, and really didn't care much. I knew otherwise sane people who were burying valuables in the backyard, many who stocked up on bottled water, canned food, and ammunition as well. I had plenty of ammo, and for food and water, there's always the river a few blocks away. It could have been serious, and people who downplay the event are uninformed; it was professionals like the bunch here at CP working hard who turned a potential bang into a fizzle, and they were accused of fear-mongering for doing their jobs superbly. We should have let the comfy little world come crashing down around the necks of the ninnies. "Another day done - All targets met; all systems fully operational; all customers satisfied; all staff keen and well motivated; all pigs fed and ready to fly" - Jennie A.
