Denys wrote: " Yes we fouled up years ago"

I totally disagree with this statement.  Anyone that's been around a few
years in computing and knows the history of technology knows that the early
systems did not have enough disk memory to allow space for saving dates in
the currently accepted 8 character format.  We were jumping through hoops
just to save the data required to run the applications.  We didn't "foul
up", we innovated. It wasn't a "bug" it was efficient use of the resources
available.  It was inevitable that these older systems would need to be
upgraded.  Lots of folks just waited too long or needed prodding by the Y2K
event as an excuse to take the time to make the changes.  We frequently wait
until an event (i.e. obsolete hardware) to take the time to make changes and
enhancements.  It's the way business runs.

Jack