Microsoft Warns: All Calendar Software Affected

Microsoft Corp. warns that for three weeks in March and April, their calendar programs may be unable to function properly due to expected complications with the passing of new legislation regarding daylight-saving time (DST) changes.

While Microsoft is already preparing consumers for the imminent defects during this three week period, they are not the only ones that will be faced with problems. In fact, all software that was programmed before 2005 is expected to experience some type of complication. (Source: topix.net)

The reason for this is due to the passing of a law in 2005 that stated daylight-saving time would start three weeks earlier and end one week later beginning in 2007.

This year, the automatic time change that most calendar software programs provide is pre-set to April 1 and not March 11 as is now the accepted date for the daylight-saving time change. The extent of the glitch will have most computers off by an hour. (Source: nytimes.com)

The defect is also not restricted to computer software. Non-network devices such as digital watches and clocks that have automatic update capabilities will also be affected.

While the problems that arise from this defect will be rather insignificant to the average end-user, the complications could host a number of problems for businesses if they remain unprepared. Transactions that occur close to midnight on some Internet shopping sites could mistakenly record the transaction on the wrong day. Also, businesses that accept appointments could face confusion if they double-book two different clients at the same time.

Some industry analysts say that fixing the glitch will be more difficult than it appears. That's because implementing changes to the calendar program depends on where the code is located in the original design. Furthermore, older computer programs that no longer carry support from their original vendor may be unfixable. (Source: topix.net)

Microsoft Corp. believes that raising awareness of the problem is the first step in finding a solution.