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Georgia needs at least $152 million to fix its 100 million lines of code. The legislature has not yet appropriated the money. This indicates that the work has not yet begun.
No system of 100 million lines has ever been fixed. (Or 50 million lines. Or 25 million lines. Or. . . .) Georgia must do it in less than a year if it plans to leave time for testing (over 50% of y2k most jobs, or so the theory goes, since no large y2k job has ever been completed).
Would a rational person expect Georgia to get it fixed? If it doesn't, there will be major problems, as this article indicates.
This is from the Associated Press (Jan. 11).
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Gov. Zell Miller is taking the problem so seriously that he has recommended $152 million in new spending this budget year to begin reprogramming the state's computers -- a task that will require hundreds of people to examine millions of lines of computer code.
If the work isn't done, Georgians across the state could be affected in unpleasant ways, said Mike Hale, the man in charge of the state's computer network.
A delinquent taxpayer attempting to get current after five years might be in for a shock, said Hale. "It's conceivable the computers would show interest should be compounded over 95 years instead of five, and he might get a bill for $300,000."
Release dates for prisoners also could go awry, resulting in some released too soon and some not at all, he said.
The state's payroll system could go haywire and Medicaid and welfare records could be completely fried. . . .
It's up to the Legislature to approve the $152 million allocation. Lawmakers are almost certain to do so, since there are few options.
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