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Building The Navy Intranet
wiredog writes "The Washington Post Business section has an article about the ongoing upgrade/integration of the US Navy's computer systems. The $6.9 billion project is the largest Federal IT project ever attempted. The mission is to get rid of, or upgrade, all the old software still in use (including, I kid you not, WordStar), do the same for all the hardware (including, I kid you not, typewriters), and link it all together. There are 100,000 different applications that have to be evaluated, and then either upgraded or replaced. I remember using WordStar. 20 years ago."
I remeber Wordstar back when I worked for the Navy in the late 80's!
If they're willing to use Wordstar, they may as well just use vi. : )
War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
It will be 5 years behind schedule and 6.9 billion over budget.
The law is a weapon of the government, not a protection for the likes of you. Surely you understand that.
And after this project is deemed a success, the Navy plans to decomission the USS Constitution.....
Karma: Not Particularly Funny.
But the $6.9 billion project has turned into a major technology headache for the services and the prime contractor on the job, Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS).
Hey, if EDS can herd cats, they can do this job, no sweat.
Belloc
I got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mangoes.
EXACTLY. The farther you go back, the better(stability wise) software gets. Legacy hardware is even better. The only way you're getting a Vax machine to crash is if you push it off a table.
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
I dunno if WordStar came up with them, but it had a ton of great keyboard shortcuts that exist today, but most people don't know about. Like Control-Y deleting a line. That command worked in the VB Editor. (I uh... asked a friend to test that... I don't program in VB, ha! Me, program in VB, d00d!)
M@
Krispy Cream is people
Based upon what I'm hearing from my contacts in the USN, Microsoft Bob will survive the chopping block and, is in fact, the key component to the new Navy Intranet.
-- jimmycarter
wordstar was burned into the first 2 amber monitors i got! i never actually used wordstar, but because of these i saw plenty of it . . .
track7.org has all kinds of interesting stuff!
Ha, ha! I know the feeling. Yea, I remember using vi 20 years ago. Oh wait, I still do.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Much of the pain is borne by desk personnel who have to use the new system. "From an employee standpoint it has had a demoralizing effect because it's making the job more difficult," said Ken Polk, the Marine Corps representative to the Federal Managers Association He continued, "The new systems actually have the audacity to tell us where we want to go today, and how to get there. Thats the sort of decision we try to make for other people. Geez."
Karma: Not Particularly Funny.
"Report: I have no idea if you'll get this message. While ice fishing, the penquins broke in and did something to the computer. I really have no idea what they did, but the dominant male of the group tells me he's coming back tomorrow to finish configuring X, whatever that means."
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
Besides, typewriters just *sound* cool. And they make you look very busy with very little effort. Stupit soft-touch keyboard, I bite my thumb at thee!
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
I still vividly recall being a high school student working on the family's first IBM PC (no hard drive, just two hard-working, 360K, full-height, black-faced, metal floppy drives). It was a History paper, and I was done. I went to save it...no dice. Out of space on my data diskette.
I substituted another diskette, and I think that's the precise moment I became an IT person. Because that's when I realized that a WordStar "Document" (as opposed to "Non-document," which IIRC was ASCII) file is opened when you create the document, not when you save it. So there was a little stub file on my (otherwise full) diskette that WordStar expected to see.
Could I print the paper? No, not without saving it first. Could I copy the contents into a buffer, exit the document and paste them somewhere? Please.
So I wrote that $$#@$%%$@ paper twice. And whenever I pull a boneheaded stunt by not thinking something through, I get a little taste of that sweet WordStar pain, and I can't say I'm sorry they're gone.
(On the other hand, given my very brief experience as an ROTC midshipman, I'm surprised that they're not still relying on punch cards for everything but Aegis.)
Ya but when the network is down and you get the hot intern to finally tell you her phone number, are you going to say sorry tell me again after the network is up and I can put it into my contact list or are you going to break out the "PEN" and write it down as fast as you can.
The only way you're getting a Vax machine to crash is if you push it off a table.
You mean: if you get a team of longshoremen with block and tackle and prybars to push it off a table.
I don't think I could push even a MicroVAX off a table by myself.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
As an ex-squid, let me assure you this is a bad idea. Why? If you lock a sailor in a room with a steel ball they will either lose it, eat it, break it, or fuck it. They don't need more expensive toys to break. To be honest the above only applies to OS's, Crypto-Weenies, oh yeah, and air-dales ... friggin brown shoes ...
between the greater and lesser infinities sleep the dreams undreamt
The article talks about how most of the software is too outdated to run on Windows 2000.... errr... isn't Windows 2000 out of date?
Last I checked MS was dropping support for it.
Only the military.
I would rather be ashes than dust!
Will WOPR be upgraded? What's the newest version?
Its not the Navy, its the Bush administration.
And its not the USS Constitution, its the US Constitution.
How long did it take you to type that?
I found my inner child, then I got caught abusing it...
We have these Vax's at work, biggest single computer I've ever seen in my life. 7 feet talk, 5 feet wide, 5 feet back. You walk by it and your fillings hurt.
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
I wanna work with you. Mmmm, vaxen... *drool*
Feel that power? That's mah MOUSING FINGER
Well, using Linux would certainly decrease the number of applications in use...
SINCE THERE HARDLY ARE ANY!!!
Yes, it WAS a joke...
At first I took the parent post seriously until I noticed that the phrase "dominant male" was used to describe a computer geek, which of course is an oxymoron in this context. Putting on a collar, a leather mask and tying yourself to the bedposts while masturbating doesn't (I repeat, does not) constitute being "dominant".
OTOH, the poster might've used the phrase referring to serious 0\X/|\|4g3 at Quake, in which case one of us is somewhat confused about the meaning of dominant..
I'm gonna go with he was referring the actual animal the penquin, which do have dominant males.
I think one of us really confused on a great number of things beyond how "dominant" was used in the post.
And please, no more descriptions of your parents scheizer videos.
wrong frame type maybe, (hahaha novell humor)
I hate sigs.