27 episodes
Y2K: An Autobiography Peter de Jager
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- Technology
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5.0 • 5 Ratings
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It's been 20 years since the successful completion of the world's largest IT project. Join Peter de Jager as he looks back on more than a decade of effort (and controversy).
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An Intro to an upcoming podcast
This is just a place holder... stay tuned (and spread the word)
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An overview of the upcoming podcast schedule to officially launch Jan 1st 2020
If you'd like to see the video component of this? Head to: https://vimeo.com/327913268If you'd like to contact me, perhaps to be interviewed as part of the series? You can do that via; Pdejager@technobility.com
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Update on Status of the Podcast
A quick update on the status of the PodcastIdentifies the plan for at least 10 episodes, the schedule and support options. The real show begins Jan 1st
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Episode #01 Why did it matter?
Peter explains what were the drivers behind the Y2K concerns and his determination to get people to pay attention to the issue.You can email him at: Pdejager@Technobility.com
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Episode #02 The Tech Problem in Great Detail
How we fixed Y2K, from Field Expansion to Date Windowing, from Time Warping Data to TriageCORRECTION to the description... )This is what happens when you work when down with the creeping crud). The title is correct... It IS about the tech problem and it sets the stage for fixing it via the techniques mentioned. THIS episode is JUST the technical details that affected HOW we'd apply the fixes described. Note to self -- Murphy's laws are always in play... even in session descriptions. sigh.
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Episode #03 - A Storm of Solutions
This time around - we focus on how exactly we 'solved' Y2K. From full date expansion to adding Century codes, from the Temporary fix that was date windowing, to something out of Star Trek called Time Warping. And of course, all the implications for any of the fixes that we deployed.
Customer Reviews
Highly relevant and useful if you work in Software or IT
“If architects built buildings like software engineers designed software, the first woodpecker that came along would destroy Western Civilization”
This quote (from Gerald Weinberg) is mentioned in one of the earlier episodes alongside Ted Nelson’s famous term “Intertwinglement”, which describes a new kind complexity the world has been facing since the 1970s.
Peter explains how the world came to be dangerously “intertwingled” to the point where public safety became a genuine risk.
Ever wonder why to know why “X” cannot easily change its domain from Twitter.com?
Or why Britain is struggling to implement Brexit (not to mention upgrade its postal system)? Or why Microsoft still dominates the IT landscape?
You will be able to answer those questions on your own after listening to Peter provide in depth answers and explanations to these seven highly important questions:
1. Why did the Y2K problem arise to begin with?
2. What was the scope of the problem?
3. Why were certain countries like Japan and Italy not as impacted?
4. What motivated companies to address the problem? (there are multiple answers to this question)
5. What problems did occur?
6. How hard was it to fix the problem and what solutions were used?
7. Are there future issues we should be concerned about?
The world runs on software, and it’s only a matter of time before another crisis like Y2K reappears (possibly by way of a Carrington event, or through another cascading software error, like the UNIX epoch limit). Could you imagine if we all had to go back to pen and paper?
Peter de Jager not only made history but carefully documented it, here in this podcast. If you are curious about the intersection of history, computer science, and business, this podcast serves as the ideal example of why in our current age we are so stuck in IT quagmires.
I enjoyed every episode of this podcast, and continue to reflect on it to this day.
Off to a good start
Good beginning, Peter. There’s some profound observations here that go far beyond Y2K as well. Paying attention to the warning bells and questioning authorities — managers or experts — is important. I was also surprised that we’re still turning up date data problems twenty years on.