Re: Y2K39

[John McKee <jmmckee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Not strictly COBOL.  A payroll system, running on IBM 1401, written in
Autocoder (assembler language) generated a paycheck for the superintendent
of schools with a digit replaced by a groupmark character (vertical line
with two horizontal lins).  Only practical fix was have the superintendent
have two pay records, with pay split between the two checks.  That is the
glory of the i in that it is (relatively) easy to enlarge a database
field.  And, the disks hold a LOT more data.

John McKee

On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 3:20 PM, William A. Hansen <whansen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Dan,
>
> I was working at a large (now bankrupt) Chicago bank when its assets went
> over a billion dollars.  The president got a report every morning that
> listed the bank's assets.  One day it showed $999,999,324.43.  The next day
> it was $1.95.   After the paramedics resucitated him, his first words
> included "@%#@# COBOL programmers."  I think the lesson here is that, in
> planning for the future, a good starting point is to assume that the future
> will actually happen.
>
> Bill
>
> William A. Hansen
> whansen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Manta Technologies Inc.
> Toll-free: (800) 406-2682 x 101
> Direct: (303) 862-4562
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