The Shanghai municipal government announced that Shanghai has basically resolved the Year 2000 computer problem.

The problem, also known as Y2K or the millennium bug, stems from the way that early computer programmers used only the last two digits of the four-digit year number in an effort to save memory. In this sense, computers may take the year 2000 as 1900, and disorders will occur.

A survey in the city shows that the Y2K problem in important sectors including electricity, water and gas supply, telecommunications, finance, aviation, and public health have been eliminated.

The revised computer system in Shanghai will be in smooth operation after 2000, said a government official. (Xinhua)