Why does an embedded controller care what day it is?
If these controllers are so deeply integrated into the 24/7/365 operations
of systems that cannot be shut down without enormous expense, why should
they care what the date is? There is a huge difference between "cannot be
readily replaced or reprogrammed" and "will probably fail". In fact, I
would think that the former would make the latter less likely. The fact
that a toaster controller has not been evaluated for Y2K compliance does not
imply an inability to heat baked goods on 2000-01-01.
/cco