All current Alpine Data programs are fully 'Y2K' compliant. This means that there are no known problems associated with the entry of two-digit years. Of course, we require that any hardware on which the programs are run also be fully Y2K compliant.

The compliance is achieved by setting a 'hinge date' and/or by allowing the entry of four-digit year data. OIL/PACK™, for example, uses only the hinge date method, because there is no reasonable possibility of users entering data that would conflict with the setting. In this program, all dates are entered in the familiar mm/dd/yy form. The OIL/PACK hinge date is 70. This means that any year that is equal to or greater than 70 is treated as beginning with 19, while any year less that 70 is assumed to begin with 20. All internal dates are and always have been recorded as full four-digit years, so internal date calculations are never a problem.

The TAX/PACK™ family of programs also uses a hinge date, in this case, 20. However, because there are many circumstances in which a two-digit year may not be unambiguous, e.g., dates of birth, asset placed in service dates, the user is offered the option of entering a full four-digit year like 1984 or 2011. When the user enters only a two-digit year, the hinge date takes effect.