Ask Dashdot: Should I Buy a Generator for Y2K? Posted by Hemlock on Tuesday October 12, @10:00PM EDT from the the-power-of-positive-thinking dept. Nervous Ned writes "My brother-in-law has filled his basement with canned beans, a generator, 400 gallons of water and a copy of every Linix distribution on CD. He says I'm a fool for not doing the same. I'm a programmer and I think the power grid will be fine. But I'm only about 95% sure. What are Dashdot readers doing to prepare?" I'm preparing by having a backup of my backups. And beans. Okay, some beans. Ask Dashdot: Should I Buy a Generator for Y2K? | Login/Create an Account | Top | 17 comments | Search Discussion Threshold: -1: 17 comments 0: 16 comments 1: 12 comments 2: 11 comments 3: 8 comments 4: 7 comments 5: 2 comments NestedFlatThreadedNo Comments Oldest FirstNewest FirstHighest Scores First The fine print: the following comments belong to whoever typed them. Dashdot takes no responsibility for them, and frankly, neither do most of the people who typed them. First post!! by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 12, @10:01PM EDT (#1) I got first post! Hi mom! [ Reply to This ] First post!! by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 12, @10:03PM EDT (#2) I got first post! Hi mom! [ Reply to This ] I work at a utility by JavaJunkie on Tuesday October 12, @10:10PM EDT (#3) (User Info) I work at a power utility. We have been testing since 1997. We rolled the clocks forward on every system we could. The grid will be fine. Your brother-in-law will have a lot of beans. [ Reply to This ] Beans are always useful by RetroRaccoon on Tuesday October 12, @10:19PM EDT (#4) (User Info) Even if nothing happens, beans don't go bad. Worst case you have chili for a year. [ Reply to This ] Re:Beans are always useful by WebWeaver on Tuesday October 12, @10:24PM EDT (#5) (User Info) Wait until you see the next version. It's going to be worse. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Re:Beans are always useful by JavaJunkie on Tuesday October 12, @10:25PM EDT (#6) (User Info) Actually, that's a common misconception. The spec explicitly allows it; it's the vendors who didn't implement it. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Interesting, but... by WindowManiac on Tuesday October 12, @10:30PM EDT (#7) (User Info) This is interesting, but I think the article misses the bigger picture. Technology like this only matters when it gets cheap enough for ordinary people. Until then it's a toy for people who read Dashdot. Which, admittedly, is us. [ Reply to This ] I'll be at work by WebWeaver on Tuesday October 12, @10:31PM EDT (#8) (User Info) I'll be at work on New Year's Eve watching logs scroll by. Pizza is provided. Bring your own champagne. In a thermos. Don't tell my boss. [ Reply to This ] Re:I'll be at work by Hemlock on Tuesday October 12, @10:51PM EDT (#9) (User Info) I work in this field, and the parent is basically right, although the details are a bit more complicated than one comment can cover. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Re:I'll be at work by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 12, @11:05PM EDT (#11) I tried that and it set my monitor on fire. Thanks a lot. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Re:I'll be at work by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 13, @12:16AM EDT (#17) Agreed. Couldn't have said it better myself. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Fill the bathtub by MarkupMarcy on Tuesday October 12, @11:00PM EDT (#10) (User Info) Fill your bathtub, have some cash on hand, keep a flashlight. Same thing you'd do for a big storm. That's all the prep anyone sane needs. [ Reply to This ] Re:Fill the bathtub by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 12, @11:56PM EDT (#15) Not true at all. I've been running it for months with no problems. Maybe check your hardware? [ Reply to This | Parent ] My experience by kludge_king on Tuesday October 12, @11:06PM EDT (#12) (User Info) I've been working in this industry for 15 years, and I can tell you that this kind of thing comes around every five years with a new name. The underlying ideas don't change much; the marketing does. [ Reply to This ] Re:My experience by ladybug_lisp on Tuesday October 12, @11:36PM EDT (#14) (User Info) Citation needed. Where are you getting these numbers? [ Reply to This | Parent ] Mirror by RailgunRhonda on Tuesday October 12, @11:16PM EDT (#13) (User Info) Mirror here, while it lasts: it's on my cable modem so be gentle. [ Reply to This ] Hmm by ParanoidPolly on Wednesday October 13, @12:06AM EDT (#16) (User Info) I wonder how long until someone ports Doom to it. [ Reply to This ]

Moderation in all things, including moderation. [ home | awards | supporters | grits' homepage | contribute story | older articles | overandover.net | advertising | past polls | topics | about | jobs | hof ] Trademarks belong to whoever trademarked them. Comments belong to whoever typed them. Everything else © 1997-99 Overandover.net. Dashdot is served hot by KoldFusion 4.5 from Gibson Mainframe Co.