Chrome and Firefox Browser bugs like the Millennium Bug might crash websites, but there are efforts in place to avoid these risks.
All three browsers are getting close to version 100, but this significant milestone will have the terrible side effect of making it more difficult for websites to load correctly without assistance.
Anyone who was paying attention to the news in the late 1990s would recognise this issue as the Millennium bug, which threatened to shut down computer systems as the clock rolled over from 1999 to 2000.
Computer systems couldn’t read dates with four digits back then, and the problem here is similar: The browser “user-agent” string will move to include three digits of version number, and early testing show high-profile websites like Yahoo and HBO Go unable to adapt.
Even though the changeover to double-digit version numbers created comparable problems more than a decade ago, browser manufacturers have ramped up their planning to deal with any potential concerns now that the crisis is approaching. It’s true that in November of last year, the Chrome Developers blog offered guidelines on how to make your website compatible with browsers with three-digit versions.
However, assuming that most webmasters would implement updates in advance of each browser reaching version 100 would be very optimistic. As a result, backup procedures have been implemented as explained here. There is no way to fix an issue in Firefox other than lying about running version 99. Chrome will utilise a flag to fix version 99 and then add a tidbit of user-agent information to reveal the genuine version number.
For testing purposes, Microsoft has inserted a flag in the user-agent string that will compel the browser to utilise version 100.
With a release date of March 29th, Google Chrome will be the first to reach the three-figure version milestone. A few months after Chrome’s rollout, Mozilla has scheduled the release of Firefox 100 for Tuesday, May 3.