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."

Comments

Additionally.....

[mdechene]

And after this project is deemed a success, the Navy plans to decomission the USS Constitution.....

EDS is on the job.

[belloc]

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

Re:Don't fix it, if it ain't broke

[unicron]

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.

M$ Bob

[jimmyCarter]

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.

Oldie but a goodie...

[toupsie]

remember using WordStar. 20 years ago.

Ha, ha! I know the feeling. Yea, I remember using vi 20 years ago. Oh wait, I still do.

Re:I remember some of the navy apps

[unicron]

"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."

A good reason for typewriters:

[bravehamster]

There is a good reason to keep the typewriters around: filling out security clearance forms. You can't do these things on the computer (at least not the last time I did it). And filling them out by hand causes severe cramps in the thumb area by the 15th page.

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!

WordStar == pain

[Dr. Dew]

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.)

Re:WordStar == pain

[Dr Caleb]

I recall in University, a guy (not me) spent all night writing code for a project due the next day. He stored it on a 360k floppy, and so he wouldn't forget it in the morning, promptly stuck it to his fridge with a magnet.

He didn't realize what he did until the next morning, when he went to print his code.

Re:Don't fix it, if it ain't broke

[swillden]

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.

Ghaaa!!!

[JimFromJersey]

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 ...

for nuclear war simulation

[theflea]

Will WOPR be upgraded? What's the newest version?

Re:Don't fix it, if it ain't broke

[unicron]

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.

Re:"Software too out dated"

[Maskirovka]

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?

If they were using XP it might lock up in the middle of the ocean because it thinks they're pirates.

Maskirovka