Macintosh computers are ready for the
                                year 2000. 




                       The year 2000 is rapidly
                       approaching, and its
                       impending arrival has
                       computer industry observers
                       bracing for what is being
                       heralded as a potential
                       disaster of phenomenal
                       proportions. 

                       The problem is that many of
                       today's computer systems
                       operate under a date format
                       that uses two digits to
                       represent and store the year.
                       Simple, right? But a
                       hypothetical comparison
                       based on that format would
                       falsely claim that the year
                       2000 (or "00") falls before
                       the year 1999 (or "99"). If
                       the computer's system clock
                       reads the date incorrectly,
                       then all mission-critical applications, all file time stamping, and even scheduled backups are
                       predicted to fail. 

                       But this problem will not afflict the Macintosh. Since its introduction, the Macintosh has had the
                       ability to correctly handle the year 2000 and beyond. The Macintosh operating system uses a
                       32-bit value to store seconds, meaning that the Macintosh clock will work correctly until the year
                       2040. 

                       Many PCs, on the other hand, cannot correctly handle dates in the year 2000 because of the BIOS
                       version in the PC hardware. To check your PC, set the date to December 31, 1999, at 11:58:00
                       P.M. Quit Windows, then turn off the computer. Wait at least three minutes and start up the
                       computer. Check the time. If it displays anything except January 1, 2000, at a few minutes past
                       midnight, then your computer will not handle the year 2000. If this is the case, then perhaps you
                       should replace your PC with a Macintosh now!