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Glitches in Massive Government Databases?

Posted by Cliff on from the public-service-faux-pas dept.

HBergeron asks: "Rather then post this as another YRO in the litany of new government datamarts there is a more fundamental question for all the coding Slashdot readers out there. This story, in Government Executive magazine, outlines the range of programming glitches in what is a relatively simple database. As a matter of public policy (and taxpayer money) is this level of non-functionality to be expected in these sorts of projects? Is the contractor just ripping off the taxpayers with bad code? How hard is it to write software like this that works?" The article focuses on the SEVIS database, but have others noticed similar trend in other government information systems?

3 of 310 comments (clear)

  1. Government Waste by simsj · · Score: 5, Funny

    This make me glad I don't pay taxes

  2. Had to. by Valar · · Score: 5, Funny

    Neo: I just had a deja vu.
    Morpheus: What? What did you see?
    Neo: I saw the same Bush pass by twice.
    Morpheus: Was it exactly the same Bush?
    Neo: I dunno... could've been some kind of father son thing.
    Morpheus: A deja vu is a glitch in the database. It usually happens when they change something. Particularly, votes.

    --

    ====
    Crudely Drawn Games
  3. Re:Canada's National Gun Registry Anyone???? by El+Cubano · · Score: 4, Funny

    One billion (with a B) dollars

    Canadain?

    That would be like what, like US$ 150,000?