Y2K and government IT (was RE: [plug] Linux isn't there yet)

[Damion Hill]

I work at Sir Charles Gairdner and so far our IT manager has mentioned
nothing about a stoppage of purchasing. The way our current project list
is looking, if we stopped purchasing any equipment the place might as
well shut down.

Truth of the matter is that we will be picking up a lot more devices
(switches in particular) in the next couple of months to ensure that we
are up to scratch both Y2K-wise and standard-wise. (AlphaWest will be
scoring a bit of work to configure said switches too, no doubt).

Cheers,
Damion.

Matt Bruce wrote:
> 
> Kevin Shackleton wrote:
> 
> >Our network admin officer did point out that as far as corporations are
> >concerned, Y2K is currently everything.  If you can't get an assurance
> >from the vendor that the software is Y2K compliant, no-one in a
> >corporate environment will use it, no matter how you personally might
> >value the assurance.  He said he was unable to find a Samba Y2K
> >assurance and unable to get a Linux assurance.
> 
> Something of interest on this particular side topic: _Apparently_ no
> government department is permitted to buy any IT product from July 1, 1999
> until the year is out. I suppose the plan is to hold their breaths to see if
> their Y2K solutions actually work. I'm not sure if this is limited to
> hardware and/or software.
> 
> Assurances or not, you may find that the pro-Linux (or pro-anything, for
> that matter) will sit in stasis until the start of next year. It'll certain
> make life difficult for those IT&T companies who have a large slice of, or
> dependency on, the government market.
> 
> While this won't directly effect private enterprise -- it may change the way
> things happen. Especially with those companies who watch what government
> departments so, then implement those particular solutions that actually
> work. Kind of like Australia and all technology (eg. US with NTSC video and
> AMPS mobile, versus PAL video and GSM mobile).
> 
> If the restriction includes software, Microsoft are just going to looooove
> the fact that Office2000 and Windows2000, due for release in the second half
> of the year, will be ignored by government for up to 6 months. I wonder if
> they'll try to make it a litigation issue? ;)
> 
> Kevin, you're in the AgDept -- have you heard anything on this matter? And
> is this a national policy, or just for the WA government?
> 
> Cya,
> 
> --
> Matt Bruce
> Network Engineer
> Network Services, AlphaWest
> 
> "Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature."

-- 
Damion Hill
dhill at wantree.com.au