Year 2000 problem facts for kids
The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug, Y2K Bug, and Y2K) was a computer problem that affected lots of computer systems. It happened because of the way in which some early computer programs were made to handle only years containing two digits (for example '92 instead of 1992). This meant that the computer could confuse the year 2000 with the year 1900, because both would be written as 00. People started fearing that date-related processing would happen incorrectly for dates and times after December 31 1999. It caused concerns that many industries (such as electricity or financial) and government functions would stop working at exactly midnight, January 1 2000. People were panicked by press coverage and media speculation, as well as corporate and government reports. Companies and organisations around the world had to check and upgrade their computer systems to avoid the bug. The preparation for Y2K had a significant effect on the computer industry. No big computer failures occurred when the year changed to 2000.
Similar bugs
Images for kids
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An electronic sign at École centrale de Nantes, saying 'Welcome to the Central School of Nantes' and incorrectly displaying the year 1900 on 3 January 2000
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Webpage screenshots showing the JavaScript .getYear() method problem, which depicts the Year 2000 problem
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The logo created by The President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, for use on Y2K.gov
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Juno Internet Service Provider CD labeling Y2K-compliance
See also
In Spanish: Problema del año 2000 para niños
