9-9-99 date could confuse PCs

The Year 2000 computer problem isn't the only date-related glitch on the horizon: Sept. 9, 1999, could throw many computers into a quandary, as well.

The date 9-9-99 resembles the "9999" that many programmers used as a signal to quit. As a result, some computers could read the date as a signal to stop running a program, according to members of the Unity Year 2000 Preparedness Committee.

Other sources say Thursday's date should not present much of a problem. CST 2000, a Portland company that does Year 2000 remediation, says that six nines, rather than four, is typically used to signal the end of a program.

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