Year 2000 fix called 'model program'

Purdue's preparation for possible computer problems on Jan. 1, 2000, is making news -- and proving to be a model for other universities, corporations and government agencies.

The Purdue plan for fixing the "millenium bug" was the subject of a feature article in the Nov. 21, 1997, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The article, titled "Universities struggle to eradicate the 'millenium bug' from computers," mentioned Purdue in the subtitle: "Purdue stands out for its solution to the problem of preparing systems for year-2000 switch."

The article explains some things that could happen if colleges do not patch or replace software that recognizes years only by their last two digits -- student IDs with no meal money, no record of tuition payments and hard drives empty of years of research findings.

Purdue is a model because it has managed to avoid spending millions of dollars in fixing the bug. According to the article, Purdue has spent about $450,000 on the salaries of people working on the problem. By comparison, some institutions have spent millions of dollars replacing programs with entirely new systems. Other institutions have done almost nothing.

The Chronicle article outlines the Purdue "fix," which involves the development of a sliding window in the date field of computer programs.

"Rather than treat all two-digit combinations as belonging to the 20th century, the fix created a sliding century, which begins 74 years prior to the current year and ends 25 years later," the article says.

L.L. Knodle, executive director of Management Information; Bonnie Wharton, manager in Management Information; and Elaine Brown, a consultant in Management Information, all were quoted in the article.

From the February 10, 1998, issue of the Purdue newsletter, Inside Purdue. The Purdue Year 2000 Users Group World Wide Web site offers current information on a variety of year-2000 topics.