Slashdot Mirror
Glitches in Massive Government Databases?
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?
...Except perhaps to the executives the magazine is aimed at. Early versions of software are generally pretty buggy, particularly if the target keeps changing, and most especially if it is in response to a hastily crafted law. The only thing that's surprising about this is that the output is taken so seriously by law enforcement officials *prior to completion*.
Don't they have some donuts that need eating?