RI 'unprepared for millennium bug'
RI 'unprepared for millennium bug'
JAKARTA (JP): An information technology expert said on Tuesday
that Indonesia had yet to push ahead with programs to anticipate
problems arising from the millennium bug by the turn of the year.
Microprocessor producer Intel Corp.'s country manager for
Indonesia Werner Sutanto considered Indonesia is lagging behind
neighboring countries in preparing to face up to the problems in
the computer system caused by the Y2k bug in the year 2000.
"For instance, the Malaysian government has long set up a
website on the Internet to inform the public about Y2k problems,
the names of companies or agencies which have already taken the
matter in hand, and the names of consultancies which provide
services to prepare computer users for these Y2k problems,"
Werner said on the sidelines of the ceremony to launch Intel's
latest microprocessor Pentium III.
He said many private companies, including banking
corporations, have prepared their computer systems well in this
context but the general public is still ignorant about the issue.
"Most Indonesians still don't know where to go to adapt their
computer systems," he said.
Werner called on the government to disseminate information
regarding the issues and raise public awareness of the problems.
Local computer producer Mugen's director Wiriadi Tirtariyadi
also highlighted the government's lack of attention to efforts to
prepare the public for millennium bug problems.
"I think the government is not prioritizing Y2k preparation as
it is facing a lot of problems in the economic and political
spheres," Wiriadi said.
The Y2k problems arises from the inability of some computers
and computer systems to recognize the date 2000, since they were
programmed to read only the last two digits of a year.
This glitch may cause computers to malfunction or shut down.
Werner called on the public to more seriously pay attention to
the millennium bug since it would not only affect computer users
but also the living environment.
"The millennium bug can affect the operation of traffic
lights, lifts and other utilities, thus our living environment"
he said.
Intel launched on Tuesday its latest microprocessor, Pentium
III, which is the first microprocessor designed to enhance the
quality of images, streaming video and video, speech recognition
on the Internet.
The Pentium III processor is available at 450 and 500
Megahertz (MHz) while the 550 MHz version will be available in
the second quarter of this year.
"The Pentium III processor enables the most powerful personal
computer for running media-rich software on and off the Internet
at home and in business," Intel's sales and marketing director
for Southeast Asia Martin Geh said during the presentation of the
new product.
The Pentium III microprocessors cost less US$2,000 each.
The company refused to reveal its sales target amid weak
demand in the domestic market for computers. (jsk)