Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

Over the past couple of years, there have been several stories in this magazine about what the popular media is optimistically calling the "Millennium Problem." The more knowledgeable are calling it the "Millennium Crisis."

by Thomas Caldwell

In spite of many (justifiable) gloom and doom predictions, alarmingly few companies in Japan have properly addressed the reality that when midnight of December 31, 1999, rolls around, time, as so many computers know it, will cease to exist. I find this a rather funny situation, considering the fact that Japanese companies were famous in the 1980s for having long-term plans, with everything figured out in detail for decades into the future.

Well, if your company is still sitting on its duff, I'm sorry to say that you are most likely dead meat. One year from now, those of you who have relied on the ringisho system of getting things done will be witnessing a time of (to put it mildly) extreme stress. The managers responsible will be looking for new careers -- and a tragic number of them may be looking for ropes, oncoming trains, or high roofs.

For those who have been writing to me wondering whether or not you should consider moving out of a company that is vulnerable to this electronic earthquake, the answer is a loud "yes!" Even if you are a lowly programmer, in a poorly run shop some incompetent EDP (electronic data processing) manager will be asking you for the impossible as the days count down to the other "Big One." Forget the overtime; it won't be worth it. Life will become a living hell for those who will be asked to prevent, and then to repair, a problem that should never have been allowed to become a problem.

It's always a good idea to build your career with a company that is well managed. If you're in EDP and your company isn't, now is the time to sign up with someone who is. Why not enjoy the countdown to 2000, instead of dreading it?

There are those who plan on being at the Great Pyramids come midnight at the end of the century. There are others who will travel to Jerusalem, New York, Stonehenge, and other significant places throughout the world. Yet the most exciting place on earth that night will be the customer service department of any computer or software maker. That's where the action will be!

Windows cleanup software
For the man in Osaka who asked whether I could recommend any good Windows cleaning (unused-program removal) software that works well with both English and Japanese systems: the answer is, unfortunately, "no." Which is not to say there is none. It's just that the packages I've tried (several) have not lived up to my expectations. One European software product much touted by friends was an especially big disappointment, with the final insult being that I couldn't get it to uninstall properly.

Perhaps Windows 98 will do something about the inefficient way that Windows 95 leaves junk hanging around on the hard disk. We'll see. In the meantime, I suggest backing up all your software and data, and then wiping your hard disk about once every six months. It works wonders for me.

Bye-bye, Bill
Back in 1994, a tall, soft-spoken gentleman I had occasionally bumped into at computer-related clubs and events met me at a hotel bar in Shinjuku to talk about a new English-language magazine that he was going to be the editor of. Over drinks, he asked if I would consider doing a monthly column for the magazine, and after discussing some possible formats, we came up with what you see here today: The Query Column. That was one of the turning points in my career as a writer.

For those of you who have never had to transform your thoughts into text for a living, it might be difficult to comprehend the unique relationship that a writer has with his or her editor. It is one filled with pleasure and pain, with happiness and sometimes hatred. For a writer, an editor is both a blessing and a curse.

Although a good writer puts a great deal of effort and passion into his work, a good editor will sit at his desk and with a knowing, critical eye make the changes, corrections, and cuts that can make a mediocre article a good one, and a good article great. Although when the article is published it is the writer's name that appears on the byline, more credit than is generally given belongs to the editor who added the polish and the shine.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to have worked with Computing Japan editor-in-chief William "Bill" Auckerman since the magazine came into existence. Like others with ties to the magazine, I was saddened to hear that he has decided to move on to something better. I wish him the very best.

I have often said that while you can pick your friends, the devil picks your editors. Fortunately, in my case, the devil turned out to be a pretty nice guy.

The Query Column has appeared in Computing Japan every month since our July 1994 issue. You can reach Tom at caldwell@gol.com.

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