Funny. Or ironic.
There has been a so-called D10K computer problem -- and it was at Dow Jones & Co.
D10K is the capability of systems to handle a five-digit Dow Jones industrial average. Although everyone knew that 10,000 was coming, Dow Jones' own Web site initially wasn't able to report any number higher than 9,999.99.
For every day the DJIA reached the 10,000 threshold, the Web site displayed only *,***.**. The asterisks apparently indicated the data field couldn't accommodate more than a four-digit number, although the Web site offered no explanation.
After the market hit 10,000 for the first time, a report in The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Dow Jones, trumpeted, "D10K bug turns out to be a big zero as computers easily handle 10,000." The report didn't mention Dow Jones' own Web site.
Some might think it's funny that Dow Jones had the bug, even though news reports had been spotlighting for months the potential D10K problem.
"Funny is not the term I'd use," said Mike Jassmann, who oversees Web site development at Dow Jones in Monmouth, N.J. "It's ironic."
Bonnie Berrien, Dow Jones' Web site designer, said she became aware of the problem only on March 18, after it was brought to her attention via e-mail by users of the site.
Speaking about notifying the people at Dow Jones about the problem, she said, "When I did make them aware of it, they were very surprised."
At that point she had no timetable for when Dow Jones would fix its D10K bug, although the problem has since been fixed.
