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March 1999

Why 2K?

Why didn't we see the problem coming? We didn't think the old programs would last and we were too excited developing future applications. In other words, we blew it.

By Michael Dertouzos

Last Thanksgiving weekend, CBS's "60 Minutes" closed their program on the year 2000 problem with me saying: "I think we'll have a few pretty bad situations, but not the catastrophes that the panic-creating people are talking about. The problem, deep down, is that nobody knows."

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