Year
2000 (Y2K) Compliance:
FirstPlace
Software takes the Year 2000 computer problem ("Y2K")
very seriously and has been actively studying the issue since
mid-1997.
For those
of you who are still in the dark about Y2K, it is a design problem
that affects millions of computers, software products, and embedded
chips world-wide. If not fixed, many software and hardware products
will work improperly, or will stop functioning altogether. The
problem stems largely from using two digit years to store dates,
so that when "00" is used to represent the Year 2000,
many systems will misinterpret that as 1900. This can cause a
variety of calculation problems and errors.
WebPosition
Year 2000 Compliance:
We are happy
to announce that WebPosition, since it's first release in June 1997
was designed to be Year 2000 compatible by storing and retrieving
dates as four digit years. However, even if a product is designed
to be compatible, testing must be conducted to verify that design.
In December
1998 we tested WebPosition Analyzer 1.20.8 and the new WebPosition
Gold for Year 2000 compatibility. Both versions of WebPosition
passed all the tests we performed. Be aware that some reports
or screens may display a date in the abbreviated 2 digit year
form by design, but dates are still stored internally as 4 digit
years to avoid potential calculation problems.
Note: Although
we expect WebPosition to make a smooth transition into the year
2000, we obviously do not have control of things like the compliance
of the search engines themselves, the complex communications network
that the Internet depends on, the hardware you run WebPosition
on, and so forth. Although we hope problems like this will not
occur, any of these factors could potentially disrupt WebPosition
from operating as intended.
FirstPlace
Software Year 2000 Compliance:
FirstPlace
Software, as an organization is taking a very proactive stance
against Y2K. We realize that the bug may affect the equipment
and software we use, as well as affecting the vendors and utilities
we rely upon. We have already upgraded or replaced our mission
critical equipment and software, with minor upgrades and continued
testing planned throughout 1999. In addition, we are taking many
steps to try and minimize our outside risk. Contingency plans
are being made for various scenarios, and we're trying to reduce
our reliance on third party vendors.
If you are
unaware of the very real dangers of Y2K, we encourage you to do
your own research so you're not caught unprepared. As the saying
goes, "Hope for the best, but plan for the worst." Here
are just some of many Y2K related sites you could look at: