The present invention avoids the Y2k problem by mapping the date code in any computer software, such as operating systems, application programs, firmware imbedded in a semiconductor device, into a logical code. This logical code represents the year 2000 and a geographical region of the world. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each geographical region is designated by a two digits code and this code is successively incremented at the beginning of each calendar year after the year 2000. With geographical regions being spaced apart by 10, this mapping from two-digit calendar year into digit logical year will provide a ten year grace period to convert the rwo-digit calendar year code in existing computer programs into a 4-digit code.
