Political Quotes

On the recordSeptember 5, 1996
I write to alert you to a problem which could have extreme negative economic consequences during your second term. The "Year 2000 Time Bomb." This has to do with the transition of computer programs from the 20th to the 21st century. The main computer languages from the '50s and '60s such as COBOL, Fortran, and Assembler were designed to minimize consumption of computer memory by employing date fields providing for only six digits. The date of this letter in "computerese," for example, is 96-07-31. The century designation "19" is assumed.
Said by
Patrick Moynihan
Illinois
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Addressing potential economic issues related to the Year 2000 computer transition.

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