Published 7/1/1999 in “South Bay Weekly” column: “South Bay Seen”. Click here for Archived PDF scan of newspaper story
Most computer-lovers are aware that the Internet is crammed with naysayers who equate double-zero dates with the end of the industrialized world.
But two South Bay computer wizards, each an expert at PCs and Macintoshes, respectively, say “nay” to conventional Y2K panic and offer practical advice for small businesses and home computer users.
Dave Nathanson, vice president of the South Bay Macintosh Users Group, said the most important item for Mac users to understand is that while there may be few system hiccups, there will be no rioting in the streets. Small business owners can easily set up automatic backup systems that provide plenty of peace of mind and less wear and tear on the computer.
And even though Nathanson s advises Mac users to check with manufacturers of accounting software that may be date-sensitive, he said the creators of Apple computers “have always known the end of the century was coming.”
“Mac operating systems and Macintosh computer hardware have always been Y2K-compliant, said Nathanson, a Redondo Beach resident who is better known on the Internet as South Bay’s “Mac Medix“, “I advise everyone to save (data) and save often. And don’t neglect to have a strategy for backing up your data.”
Additionally, the Mac maestro warns of what he describes as panicky doomsday criers, like the Web site garynorth.com and Art Bell’s Y2K survival page, as the worst cases of Y2K hysteria. Their ilk Nathanson alleged, offer solutions simply by linking users to commercial businesses to sell them wood-burning stoves, action manuals, water tanks and solar panel systems.
“Southern Californians are used to being ready for earthquakes,” Nathanson said. “Preparing for Y2K is similar to preparing for an earthquake.”
Ted Vegvari, technical director for Palos Verdes On The Net, has similar advice for PC users. “Get the latest version of Windows 98, he said. “Microsoft is not going forward with Y2K certification on Windows 95 to the extent they are with Windows 98.”
More information on their position is available on Microsoft.com, he said.
Like Nathanson, Vegvari also advises PC users to back up information on computer systems daily, not weekly or monthly. To a business owner, this step is imperative, he said. And he reminds users that many upgrades are free, simply by contacting program manufacturers.
“Make absolutely certain you don’t have an old motherboard, and try to update the BIOS – the basic input and output system, said Vegvari, who oversees the most advanced nonprofit technical center in Southern California. “The closer you get to the year 2000, the more likely (popular programs) are going to raise their little heads and cause bugs.”
– Deborah Paul
Published 7/1/1999 in “South Bay Weekly” column: “South Bay Seen”.