This is the fourth of a series of articles on the progress of the Y2K project since issue no. 72 of the Computer News.

Each department/unit received a questionnaire in July this year which we sent out to ascertain the general level of Y2K compliance in the university.  The response was good and only a few departments have not yet replied.  Analysis of the data so far gathered has clearly shown that outside the Computer Centre, PC systems are the biggest and most widespread problem area.  We are therefore treating this as our priority task for the present.  We will turn to network and host system difficulties as soon as the PC initiative has been properly launched.

In order to plan our Y2K training and consultancy programme we will need to collect more detailed information about non-compliant PC systems from your department's Y2K coordinator.  We need to know which particular hardware and software is causing your problems so that we can assemble the expertise to deal with it.

Each department is responsible for its own Y2K compliance programme but the Computer Centre will take the lead in coordinating the project and in offering assistance wherever possible.  The following is a list of the Computer Centre's key Y2K commitments to departments:
 

•  We will mount training sessions covering such topics as converting from Lotus 123 to Excel 97 and from Foxpro to Access 97 and also a workshop on hardware testing procedures.

•  An individual consultation service will be offered for the more intractable problems.

•  The web pages relating to Y2K compliance will be maintained and extended to maximise information dissemination.

•  It will be possible to arrange for departments to use CC facilities for testing their software.

Please note that the Computer Centre does not have funds to replace any hardware in departments other than as part of the existing rolling replacement plan for PCs.  This plan should ensure that all PCs issued to Terms of Service I staff should have been replaced by compliant machines by the end of next year.  However department heads may have passed on some of the non-compliant machines to clerical and other staff.  Any replacement costs for these machines is entirely the responsibility of departments.

In the case of very specialised systems such as some host computers and all embedded systems it is likely that support can only really come from vendors.

D.P. Carthy
Tel: 2857 8594
Email: dpc@cc.hku.hk