KPDE reports millennium bug hurdle cleared<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration declared on Monday that
\nits computer system is ready to cope with the double digit
\nmillennial problem widely known as the Y2K bug.<\/p>\n
Head of the city's electronic data processing office (KPDE)
\nSuhardi told The Jakarta Post that all of the administration's
\ncomputer application software systems used daily for public
\nservice had achieved Y2K clearance to face the threat of the
\nmillennium bug.<\/p>\n
Only 30 percent of the administration's entire computer system
\nhas yet to be vetted for the global problem as it is only used,
\nfor example, to record the city's assets, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We prioritized work in the systems mainly used to serve the
\npublic,\" Suhardi added.<\/p>\n
\"The trial run has just been completed. The computers can now
\ndistinguish differences between 1900 and 2000,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The inability of computers to surmount the Year 2000 problem
\n(Y2K) would crash data and the entire system of a computer
\nnetwork as well.<\/p>\n
It is believed that many state- and privately-owned companies
\nand institutions have started to adjust their computer systems in
\nan attempt to deal with the millennium bug either by deploying
\ntheir own staff or hiring experts.<\/p>\n
According to Suhardi, the upgrading of the system at the
\nJakarta administration has been effected by his own subordinates
\nin the office.<\/p>\n
\"We have good manpower. It'd be too hard for us if we had to
\nsubmit the process to a third party. The cost would be too
\ngreat,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said that the office had also established teams for the
\nmillennium bug projects.<\/p>\n
\"Each of these teams is concentrating on an application
\nprogram, an operating system, as well as hardware and knitter
\nsystems,\" Suhardi said.<\/p>\n
The office had allocated Rp 162 billion for replacing certain
\napparatus and Rp 150 billion for expenses of the teams, which
\nstarted work in 1997.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, the entire computer system of the administration
\nwill be freed from the millennium bug threat by next June,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Suhardi, the city administration did not allocate
\nnew funds for this project.<\/p>\n
\"We used our routine expenditure\", he said.<\/p>\n
In the 1999\/2000 draft budget the administration has a
\nprojected allocation of Rp 33 billion for Suhardi's office.<\/p>\n
According to the office's head of systems information
\nmanagement Beny Arifin Yustian, KPDE has actually long been aware
\nof the threat from the bug.<\/p>\n
\"We already recognized the problem in 1995 when we were about
\nto process data on vehicle ownership documents, which are valid
\nfor five years and expire in the year 2000,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Since then the office has undertaken significant efforts to
\ntackle the problem.<\/p>\n
\"But, the work can't be done within a short time of period due
\nto high costs. We're facing a shortage of funds here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to data, the KPDE office processes 60 items from 421
\ndifferent kinds of city administrative services. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpde-reports-millennium-bug-hurdle-cleared-1447893297",
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