On 31st December 1999, as the world braced for the Y2K bug, Sri Lankan companies scrambled to secure their IT systems. Among them was Paradise International (Pvt) Ltd., a diamond and jewellery firm in Katunayake. Their formal request to East West Computers Ltd. captures the urgency of that moment — and it landed right on my desk.
The subject line read: “Y2K Virus Detecting Program.” They asked me to hand over a program to be copied onto two blank diskettes. Signed by Aruna Ratnayake, Group IT Executive, the letter reflected the anxiety of businesses everywhere: would computers survive the millennium rollover?
Context
- Diskette era — Floppy disks were the lifeline of IT support.
- Sri Lanka IT labs — Companies relied on technicians to deliver quick fixes.
- Global Y2K fear — Banks, airlines, and governments feared catastrophic crashes.
Reflection
Looking back, the Y2K bug turned out to be more of a prevented disaster than an actual one. IT teams worldwide worked tirelessly, and midnight passed without chaos. But this letter is a reminder of how fragile and uncertain technology felt at the time.
C:\>ARCHIVE.EXE /DATE:31-12-1999 /SUBJECT:Y2K_Virus_Program /COMPANY:ParadiseIntl /RESULT:HistoricTechMemory