The federal Chief Information Officers Council has created an online database of information about what hardware and software will work after the turn of the century. But the new database has created a controversy that portends future legal conflicts over the year 2000 problem.
The Federal Year 2000 Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Product Database, maintained by the General Services Administration, allows federal agencies to share what they learn about whether certain products will still work when the century turns. Products expected to break down at the turn of the millenium use two-digit date codes--12-31-99, for example.
Once a programmer has tested a product, he or she can go to the GSA Web site and enter information on whether the product will work after the century change. The programmer must also explain the agency's systems environment and specify which version of the product was tested.
Kathleen M. Adams, the Social Security Administration's assistant deputy commissioner for systems and chair of the CIO Council Subcommittee on Year 2000, says the new Web site helps agencies "leverage our resources" as the non-negotiable deadline draws closer.
"It makes sense to get all this data and make it accessible in one place," Adams says.
But not everyone agrees.
"The federal government shouldn't be in the business of doing consumer reports for commercial products," says Michael Aisenberg, director of strategy and policy at Digital Equipment Corp., which produces hardware and software.
Aisenberg says he is concerned because the data agencies submit is not verified before it is posted to the Internet.
"Under the FAR [Federal Acquisition Regulation], the kind of information being posted would be past performance data on the existing goods and services," Aisenberg says. "That past performance data requires verification by the vendor or an opportunity for vendor rebuttal if it is anything less than fully favorable."
Adams says Aisenberg's concerns have been addressed.
"We've made significant revisions to the system," she says. Before a programmer can post unfavorable information to the database, the vendor must be contacted, Adams says. If the agency and the vendor cannot agree, then the compliance data is posted with a note saying the information is in dispute.
Linda Martin, a representative of California-based Rational Software and a member of the Industry Advisory Council, represented software developers during the creation of the database. She says the database will help agencies as they prepare their systems for year 2000 compliance. It also makes programmers aware of which version of a product is year 2000-ready, she says.
"We are better off helping them than saying, 'No, this is going to cause legal problems' and turning our backs on them," Martin says.
Aisenberg says legal action may be taken to protect vendor interests.
The legal implications of the year 2000 problem are still unclear, but many observers expect lawsuits stemming from product or system breakdowns.
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