Hello again,

Cap, and others,

There is a Y2K compliant software for every stable isotope system mentioned
in this series of exchanges and that does include SIRA systems. As Cap
points out, it's a no-brainer for some products, existing software is OK. If
you tell your local office what you have, they will be able to let you know
what you need, (if anything). They may need to contact the factory in some
cases.

This isn't a Y2K snake oil. In some situations, Micromass does sell software
upgrades, which customers are free to buy if they feel that the new features
are worth having. BUT.... we do not aim to gouge, screw or fleece anyone who
just needs Y2K compliance. We regard it as something that some customers
MUST get to carry on using their systems. NOBODY will pay Micromass 2,100
dollars in order to get Y2K compliance for ANY stable isotope mass
spectrometer which has VG, Fisons or Micromass label on it.


Ian Abell MM UK


        -----Original Message-----
        From:   D. Cap Introne [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
        Sent:   11 June 1999 13:51
        To:     [log in to unmask]
        Subject:        Re: Y2K and Micromass

        I did this and the site was similar to the old 602 Brown Manual in
it's
        ability to confuse the issue even further. Full of fancy blabber,
but no
        substance. I did not find anything about older Fisons/Vg software
(ie SIRA
        software) mentioned, just a lot of gobble-tee-gook about how to
proceed
        with Active Transition tests, Quiet transition tests, etc. I learned
that
        "new DI software" running on a Compaq OS/2 computer passed the test
(which
        we already knew). There was a beautiful table for failed tests which
was
        starkly empty (with no mention of any earlier types of software from
Fisons
        days). To the best of thier knowledge? Compliant software is a no
brainer,
        it will make the transition, effortlessly. It is the non-compliant
software
        that matters to "the user" and there is no listing as such on the
website.
        I would appreciate it someone over there would tell us the skinny.

        For what it's worth, I was a part of the original Y2K discussion on
this
        list and my old IBM 55-SX computers running SIRA 4.43 on both a
PRISM
        Series II and a SIRA Series II do not seem to have any Y2K problems.
I have
        access to a new Isoprime CF-IRMS and it is Y2K compliant as well.
Rather
        than be taken to the cleaners for $2100 dollars, by the "mass spec
snake
        oil dealers", I would definately set my clock to 1972, 1932, or
whatever
        was necessary to keep running. I'd live in perpetual 1999 for that
quantity
        of dinero.  In the original discussion there seemed to be a BIOS
problem
        with some computers running Vg/Fisons Sira 4.43 software. All I can
say is
        that when my computer see's the year 2000, in the date section on
the
        screen as -00, it must think it 1900 because it continues to work
superbly.
        I think the problem exists for several people who have upgraded
thier SIRA
        software to run with faster computers and/or they are running
"emulator
        software". My problems will start when my old computers die. HTH\

        Best Regards,
        Cap