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Someone once said, "There is nothing quite as good for the human soul as a good whine." Oops- that was supposed to say "wine." Lately, however, there has been a lot of "whine" going around, particularly in reference to Y2K.
Just what does Y2K mean to the "average" computer user? That question in itself is a major part of the whole problem. Y2K means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and there are many different "average" computer users.
So the first thing to do is to figure out just what Y2K means. Y2K is shorthand for fear. That's right, fear. Everyone is afraid of what might happen. Fear is the most primitive, most basic of human emotions and it is the unknown that humans fear the most. But fear has helped the human race survive. It was fear that told us to jump back when the snake rattled its tail, when the lion roared or even when the small twig snapped. This is where Y2K has the upper hand right now; no one knows whether Y2K is a mouse on a twig or a lion in the brush.
Let's take a look at the possibilities. In the worst case scenario, every computer, clock, car, television, dishwasher and talking toy stop working at the same time. Let us not forget all the electric power plants, the banks, planes, trains, toilets, showers, natural gas pipelines, traffic lights- everything stops. This is accompanied by panic in the streets and mass riots, with New York, Chicago and Los Angeles crumbling to the ground while smaller cities and towns are ransacked and pillaged. The world, as we know it, comes to an end, leaving quite a few campers who are less than happy.
For now, let's just take a look at the computer end of things. Everything computerized stops dead in its tracks. My, my, oh my, what do we do? Can we survive without a daily dose of Pacman, Doom or Tomb Raider? Just how do you gloat when your highest scores will not display? And what about the important information- the bank accounts, the retirement funds, the investments?
For these there are the cardinal rules of computing: save, save and save again, then back it up and store the backup in a safe place.
If all systems fail, there is always the good old pencil and paper for record keeping. Maybe if all systems did fail, it could be a blessing in disguise. Just think of all the jobs that would be created in banking and real estate alone. Cars and trucks would have to be repairable and mechanics would actually be able to fix them.
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We would have to learn to spell again without Spell Check and to use a real dictionary. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division- these would all have to be learned again as well, with no calculators to do this simple math for us. Hundreds, or even thousands, of teachers would have to be hired to meet these needs. And we all would have to remember to print clearly because someone else has to read what we have written.
Now, back to the "average" computer user. The American Heritage Dictionary defines "average" as "a number that typifies a set of numbers of which it is a function; normal or ordinary, average; of or constituting a mathematical average." So even the dictionary uses average to define average, which I suppose means that average is whatever someone says it is.
So let's say I am an "average" computer user. I do some desktop publishing, write some letters, make up flyers and print up news items. I send and receive e-mail while surfing the Internet doing research on what I write about. I buy a little online, but no more than I did in the past through mail order, which is really what online ordering is anyway, but instead of paper catalogs, the pictures are on a computer screen. You know, I really miss the Montgomery Ward's, JC Penney's, and Sears' Christmas catalogs. I remember laying on the rug and turning the pages while sipping my hot chocolate and dunking cookies, all the while making up my wish list for Santa.
There are other "average" computer users that do spend a lot of money online, I suppose, or at least a lot more than I do. They may also do their banking and pay their bills online as well. Even if the "average" person had massive amounts of date- sensitive information and the system failed, the data should have been saved and backed up. Any immediate needs could- and I'm sure will be- met with the time honored system of writing it down.
So what does Y2K mean to the "average" computer user? It means that you have to find out just what kind of "average" computer user you are. It also means that you need to remember the first five laws of computer use: Save It, Save It, Save It Again, Print a Hard Copy and Back It Up.
Now just what does Y2K mean? There is nothing quite as good for the human soul as a good whine. And there is nothing to fear but fear itself- that and... Y2K.
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