Is DST really the top tech issue?

Is it just me?

Gartner's website is leading on the impact of Daylight Saving Time. Three of Gartner's vice-presidents have united to tell us that "While not on the scale of Y2K, this change could generate problems that modestly disrupt business operations, irritate customers and tarnish professional reputations."

By the time this news reached Gartner's PR team, the modest disruption seems to have grown. "Imminent Changes to US Daylight Saving Time Will Have Global Business Implications", said the firm. Readers outside the US should know that DST has been extended by four weeks here. This takes some software applications off the calendar they would have expected prior to 2005.

We accept that Gartner's research need not be at the leading edge because it focusses on the needs of big businesses. However, we have two concerns. First, if they want to get out of the CIO niche then leading with this kind of story looks really odd. They look super-geeky: almost as bad as IDC. Second, we just don't think it's that important. If even Gartner says it will have a smaller impact than Y2K, then who will even notice?