Time Bomb 2000: What the Year 2000 Computer Crisis Means to You! Yourdon Press Computing Series: Amazon.co.uk: Edward Yourdon, Jennifer Yourdon: Books

Review

Reader Review Letters to Ed Yourdon:

From: Galen Brunner, Hartford, Wis.

Ed,
I just finished your new book and found it to be a masterpiece. You and Jennifer did an outstanding job. I'm the 72 year-old guy my daughter e-mailed you about (Page 337). We really got a charge out of your reference to her post. Thanks for the honor. I have your page bookmarked and check it out every day. Thanks for all the level-headed information. We need more like you.

From: Don Oas

Really, really enjoyed your book. Couldn't wait for the next installment. I was especially impressed with the fact that you did not specifically predict what was going to happen; you merely advised that we make our own judgement and plans.

It was also unnerving to see a book of this nature coming from Ed Yourdon. You have my deepest respect and I have used your guidance in the past to keep up with the next wave of information technology. I would expect a book on how to handle the problem from a technology viewpoint. The fact that you spent your time on this type of a book was the single event that pushed me from a spectator of the Y2K problem to a participant. This puppy is for real. Your Chapter 12 was chilling and depressing.

One person's opinion...

I can see that a publisher would like the "Time Bomb 2000" title -- it's catchy, sensational and sums up the book quickly. However, I prefer the original title, "Fallback". Once you understand the issue, this title is even more emotionally disturbing. It reminds me of the title "Fail Safe". This problem needs ACTION - mostly from/for government. I don't
want the Ed Yourdon credibility wasted and you be labeled a "sensationalist". It is instructive to note what happened to the credibility of Gary Aldrich. Maybe he was wrong on one of his points; what about the other 299???

By the way, I'm optimistic that industry will come through. We're doing O.K., and many of our partners are too. It might be rough, but there wouldn't be a purpose for your book if there wasn't at least one area that didn't go beyond the 3-day classification. I'm very worried about the government, and anarchy brings its own problems.

Keep up the good work. I've been watching your schedule to see when there will be a public seminar on the "Death March" projects.

From: Paul Bowman

Subject:Outstanding..

Hi,

I just want to thank you for bringing this all to light in such an articulate manner. I've been saying for years to all the folks I know that this was going to be a really big problem and I got the usual response of "They'll fix it before then." Well, "then" is fast approaching and for the most part, "They" haven't fixed it. Funny how the programmers I run into in my day to day work say they're "leaving town" after they make their money. This is not very assuring. At least now I have something in writing that explains (in English) just what may transpire as well as several examples of things that HAVE gone wrong.

You've both done a great job and I am buying your book as a way of saying thanks. If your book saves 1 life, then all the hassle of writing it will be well worth it. As a reader I thank you. Also,
thanks for posting it up on the web.

So what are YOU doing for the y2k New Year?

Sincerely,

Paul Bowman

PS: Do you think Dr. North is on the mark? (Worse case scenario of course)

I'm betting my future on it. After all, If nothing happens, GREAT!,.. but if it does and one
isn't prepared,.......

FROM: Roleigh Martin

I want to buy initially anywhere from 50 to 101 copies of Time Bomb. What kind of discount an I get ordering direct from you? Ed Yourdon suggested contacting you directly (thanks, Ed!). I want to hand out copies to members of the press, local authorities, utility CEOs, etc., to make sure that Y2k problems are fully understood locally. Thanks! Will you take credit card and include how much shipping will cost me -- I want to compare your discount pricing with what it would cost to order from Amazon.com or elsewhere.

(I also have a web site where I heavily promote this book-- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/roleigh_martin

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/roleigh_martin/bkstore. It gets significant traffic.)

Personally, I believe that Ed Yourdon should get a Nobel Prize for doing this book, I believe history will consider this book that significant (or at least, I hope it does).

From: Bruce Webster

Ed:

My copy of Time Bomb 2000 arrive from Amazon.com yesterday (I've had it on order for some weeks). I'm about 1/3 of the way through...just wanted to stop and tell you that it's well-written and, more depressingly, just confirms my own thoughts and fears. I also wanted to pass on a few more of the Y2K tidbits that we tend to anticipate and dread:

While attending lunch at the Government Y2K conference (where I gave the "Darker Than You Think" talk), I was at a table that included two women from Sweden. The issue of airplanes and Y2K came up, and someone mentioned the then-recent announcement by KLM that it would be
restricting flights during the week surround the Y2K rollover. One of the women then made a statement that I haven't been able to verify but which sounds all too feasible: that there isn't enough room at all the world's airports for all the world's commercial airplanes to be on the
ground simultaneously. Now, I suspect that with advance planning, accommodations can be made, but to the extent that both air traffic control and on-board systems lead to a drastic scaling back of flights at the end of 1999, we could see some degree of gridlock at commercial airports worldwide that could take weeks or months to recover from.

Speaking of gridlock: one of the examples I used in my talk for an analogy of possible Y2K consequence has been that of the gridlock and congestion that Union Pacific Railroad has experienced with regard to its merger with Southern Pacific, due in part to the problems in getting the two firms' IS systems hooked together (e.g., see http://cgi2.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/biz/100197/biz15_16953_body.html and
http://www.chron.com/cgi-bin/auth/story/content/chronicle/business/97/12/31/
union.2-0.html).

T here was a Y2K tremor on this past New Year's Eve. Some time last year, Computer Automation (CA) sent out a Y2K patch for its CA 7 Scheduler application. Come midnight in Australia on New Year's Eve, CA 7 Scheduler installations shut down and proceeded to do so in
successive timezones around the globe as midnight struck. Turns out the patch, while fixing the 1/1/00 problem, _broke_ CA 7 Scheduler for 1/1/98. Here in the US, several hours ahead of the crashes, CA 7 Scheduler sites were getting calls from CA on New Year's Eve to see whether they had installed that patch. A taste of things to come....

So...I see you're now living in Taos, NM. Some of your own Y2K preparations?

And, by the way, when would you like to come address the Washington D.C. Year 2000 Group?

Take care, and stay in touch. ..bruce..

(Member, Fannie Mae Year 2000 Team and Chair, Washington DC Year 2000 Group)

From: Gail H. Byars

Ed,

Just finished reading "Time Bomb 2000". What a great resource you have created. My husband and I decided, after reading your book, to order an additional 20 copies to give to friends, family and business associates.

Took a look at your web site today, and it looks great. (located at: www.yourdon.com)

Keep up the good work.

Reader Reviews on Amazon.com

Timothy Barney from Ann Arbor, MI , 11/03/97, rating=10:

Best Analysis of Y2K available for laymen...Among the many writings on the problems computers will face with the Year 2000, this is by far the best. This book is one of those rare writings that are a marked contribution to society, alerting us to a real danger and offering helpful suggestions on what we as individuals can do to prepare for it.

Ron Rohrssen of Cedar Rapids IA

A simple layman approach to understanding the Y2K issues. This is one of the most practical books that I've read on Y2K issues to date. ... Ed and Jennifer Yourdon offer sound reasoning on the scope of the Y2K problems that we will all face. I would suggest that you get several copies of this book and pass it around to friends and relatives.

Mike Gunderloy of Seattle, WA

If you only read one year 2000 book, this should be it... This is not a book for techno-geeks, but rather a treatment for the man in the street. If you're concerned as to how the "Year 2000 Bug" will affect YOU, you need to read this book.

Product Description

This is the first practical guide to the Y2K crisis for everyone! This expert guide discusses what problems are likely to occur, how they will impact individuals and society, and what you can do to prepare as an individual. This book is aimed at everyone whose life is affected by computers - whether or not they ever touch a keyboard. It poses the question: "What if the computer industry fails to fix the Year 2000 problem?" Then, it systematically reviews the consequences for employment, the economy, health, transportation and many other issues --assessing the relative probabilities of failure. Best of all, the book presents practical contingency plans and fallback positions for individuals in the event the worst happens. Anyone with an interest in the Y2K problem.

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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Extensive introduction to the possible effects of Y2K 19 May 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The Yourdons don't claim to know what will happen in late 1999 and early 2000, which affords them more credibility than anyone who does claims to 'know'. This book is an in depth look at many of the things which COULD happen, along with general advice on how to minimize the effects on your family.

It is quite long and somewhat dry. If you are seriously interested in Y2K, it is a great introduction to the problem. If you want to know more about Y2K, skimming parts of this would be of benefit. For details on preparation, this is not the book. It is a good first book on the subject, but should not be your last or only book on Y2K. If you know nothing about the problem, you may want to start with the appendices.

The list of suggested books is just that, a list. The web site list has a little description of each site and is thus more useful.

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Fiction, pure and simple 21 July 1998

Ed Yourdon does not know what he is talking about. His examples of Y2K disasters proceed entirely from made-up scenarios of doom and not from any understanding of the underlying processes and code. His examples are ludicrous; absolutely laughable.

The basic premise, that Y2K bugs will cause widespread crashes, is silly enough (try setting the clock on your computer past 2000 and running all your programs; nothing odd happens), but the idea that any computer's crashing will cause the downfall of civilization is outlandish. Computers crash all the time -- there are already processes and infrastructure to deal with it. A whole lot of computers crashing at once could conceivably make things annoying for a while, but more in the nature of slowed-down than stopped.

Here's an example: can the airlines run without computers? Yes. They have complete procedures in place to issue tickets, take tickets, move baggage, etc. without any computers involved. They did it in the 50's;! they can still do it today. It's just slower and more prone to error. Some Airbus planes are dependent on their computers for certain operations, but even they have manual fallbacks. They're not going to fall out of the sky, and they're not going to crash in 2000; it's unlikely that airplane computers pay attention to the date at all.

I cannot stress enough: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. Don't put another dollar into the hands of someone who is uninformed and milking the hype machine for all it's worth. Check it out from the library if you must.

Good overview for the Novice 6 Aug 1999

This book provided a great introduction to Y2K and some of the scenarios that we should all be considering to prepare ourselves for the POTENTIAL outcomes and interruptions in our daily lives. All of you who have given this book a poor review should consider yourselves lucky to be so informed as to consider this book boring. I can tell you from personal experience, the rest of the world isn't nearly as informed and prepared as Americans are. This book provides many resources which are great starting points and can be expanded to develop a personal disaster plan for anything (i.e. floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.). Would recommend this book to those who are not quite so computer literate.