Most e-commerce sites open for Y2K

Some e-commerce sites, notably auctioneer eBay and carmaker Audi, shut down as a precaution for the millennium, but most remained open for business.

eBay temporarily closed its site today, as expected. "The eBay site will be unavailable for Y2K verification from 15:30 PST to 18:00 PST on Friday, December 31 and from 23:00 PST, Friday, December 31 to 03:00 PST, Saturday, January 1," a notice read. "If you try to connect to eBay during these times, you may receive a 'failed to connect' error message."

Audi also closed its site today. "Sorry we have temporarily disabled this module," a message read. "While Audiusa.com is fully prepared for Y2K and beyond, we wanted to keep our databases clear of the millennium madness everyone seems to be talking about. Service will be restored on January 1."

A posting on Slashdot.org joked, "What, are they afraid that the website will suddenly start displaying pictures of Volvos?"

Most other major e-commerce sites, including Amazon.com, eToys, Travelocity and Preview Travel, remained open.

Wal-Mart has been promising a new look for its Web site on Jan. 1. Until then, the site remained closed.

The Wal-Mart site features new services that include Wal-Mart travel to buy tickets online, as well as a photo center to "share your photos with friends and family all over the world."