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New Hungarian Government OMGs All Gov Sites

Posted by samzenpus on from the they-forgot-the-ponies dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The new Hungarian government chose to replace the home pages with a 'disclaimer' page on several governmental websites such as ministries or the Foreign Office. The title and the main message is 'OMG,' which is followed by an explanation that the inherited websites 'lack any kind of uniform structure' and this is 'unworthy of Hungary.' Today is the takeover day in most ministries for the new administration."

44 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. Isn't April Fools over already? by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    I mean like 2 months ago?!

    1. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 1

      You would think, but this is /., and more to the point, idle on /. so I imagine for those who post to idle, April Fool's Day is never over. Never.

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    2. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I mean like 2 months ago?!

      Yeah, but today is the day that the new government (elected in April) run by Fidesz takes over control of government ministries from the old MSzP-SzDSz coalition. So it will be interesting to see whether they actually quickly get useful information on to those sites or whether this is just an attempt to limit access to embarrassing data (Fidesz is more than a bit nationalistic). I suspect that this is an honest attempt to transition to presenting information more clearly, but I wouldn't be too surprised if I were wrong.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    3. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by sourcerror · · Score: 2, Funny

      or whether this is just an attempt to limit access to embarrassing data

      WTF? You mean FIDESZ wants to cover up the previous government's failure?

    4. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 1

      or whether this is just an attempt to limit access to embarrassing data

      WTF? You mean FIDESZ wants to cover up the previous government's failure?

      As I said, this is not what I'm betting on. But if asked to speculate in this area, suppose that a government website had information on poverty among Gypsies. That might be the kind of thing that the new government may not wish to emphasize.

      There is another things as well. Fidesz will have to implement enormous and extremely painful budget cuts. If the MSzP run sites had bragged about social programs and how many people they helped, Fidesz may well want those squirreled away.

      But on the whole, I take their OMG message at face value. The previous websites were a mess. It's just disturbing that at the moment for those ministries there is no online information. It's like when the radio news is replaced with Beethoven.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    5. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by sourcerror · · Score: 1

      "As I said, this is not what I'm betting on. But if asked to speculate in this area, suppose that a government website had information on poverty among Gypsies. "

      The KSH (Central Statistical Office) site isn't affected.

    6. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 2, Informative

      And I've overlooked something very important. There is a link on the bottom of the OMG pages that takes people to the regular sites. Nothing has been removed. This stuff is just an intro page.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    7. Re:Isn't April Fools over already? by Nemnemsoha · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't be surprised if the former is more correct than the later. Remember: These websites and domain names where bought and produced originally under the last Fidesz government, and Fidesz does want to make sure that their 'Truth' is presented. Not to say that the last government coalition presented their own 'truth'. It is just with Magyars, the truth is how they perceived it and that is all. Take a look at their media, for example.

  2. Better OMG than OGC by rwa2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    From the inadvertently bad logo competition some time ago.

    OGC

    (Turn your head sideways to the left if you don't see the little wanker)

    1. Re:Better OMG than OGC by uofitorn · · Score: 1

      I can see Lisa Simpson in the 2012 Olympics logo (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1239/533084139_223aa08fb6.jpg). I can sort of see Boba Fett in the N in the ESPN logo (http://blogbeckett.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/espn.jpg), but I think a doink in OGC is kind of a stretch :)

      --
      "What kind of music do pirates listen to?" -Paul Maud'dib
      "Yeeeaaarrrrr n' Bee!!" -Stilgar, Leader of Sietch Tabr
    2. Re:Better OMG than OGC by Happy-R-BOB · · Score: 1

      I forget, is OMG a subsidiary of Ontario Mega Finance Group? Silly Canadians, Hungery is for europeans.

      --
      The Computer is your Friend. Happiness is mandatory, the Computer says so. Do you not trust the Computer citizen? Not tr
  3. Re:i was like by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 1

    OMG this is not a joke

    I know! It's, like, like they're just Hungary for government information, like, you know, now!

  4. Oh My Hovercraft by rossdee · · Score: 1

    What does OMG stand for in Hungarian then

    1. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

      A pointer to a reference to a window handle?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    2. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Vahokif · · Score: 1

      Same as English. It's lame as hell.

    3. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by rudy_wayne · · Score: 1

      LOL

    4. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Chrisq · · Score: 3, Informative

      The page makes it clear that the English usage applies by linking to the Wikipedia OMG disambiguation page

    5. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 1

      What does OMG stand for in Hungarian then

      I dunno, Oy, My Government?

    6. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Noam.of.Doom · · Score: 1

      Is your hovercraft full of eels?

      --
      It is the universe that makes fun of us all.
    7. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What does OMG stand for in Hungarian then

      Te jo eg.

      In this case it mean OMG. The page, even the Hungarian language version, has wikipedia links explaining that OMG is an English abbreviation meaning something like "Istenem!" (My God!) or "Te jo eg!" ("Oh, great heaven!").

      I never would have thought that Fidesz (the new ruling party) still had anyone in it with a sense of humor. Back in the day (1990) they had the best campaign posters. I guess when you have complete control of parliament (more than 2/3) you can take a few risks. Also keep in mind that in Hungary, the Internet is used mostly by the young.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    8. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Thansal · · Score: 1

      That's my assumption as well.

      Especially as the web page is all in English, which was rather surprising to me.

      --
      Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
    9. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Most Hungarian websites are available in Magyar and English. That was a link to the English version, the Magyar version is also available, but it uses the logo. It's available at: http://fvm.gov.hu/index_hu.html

    10. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by vlm · · Score: 1

      What does OMG stand for in Hungarian then

      Nothing, really. See

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_notation

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    11. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by Thansal · · Score: 1

      As a horrible American who really knows next to nothing about other countries, especially those that aren't English as a primary language, it through me for a loop, and sorta disappointed me (something bugs me about the idea of government web pages NOT being in the proper language). Knowing that they are all bilingual is kinda awesome to me, thanks.

      --
      Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
    12. Re:Oh My Hovercraft by berbo · · Score: 1
      My Hovercraft is full of:

      PONIES!

  5. Use mod_rewrite by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 1

    One area where web changeovers fail nowadays is in redirecting old URLs to new ones. Web services and web design are not taught anywhere anymore and the skills are fading. Nonetheless, it is possible for any competent web administrator to deploy >a href="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_rewrite.html">mod_rewrite to point both users and search engines to the new pages.

    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
    1. Re:Use mod_rewrite by dingen · · Score: 4, Funny

      I see the skills are quickly fading away, as even creating a basic link in HTML is now quite a challenge for some people.

      --
      Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
    2. Re:Use mod_rewrite by machine321 · · Score: 1

      How do i install that on IIS 5.1?

    3. Re:Use mod_rewrite by TheLink · · Score: 1

      Upgrade to IIS7.0 and: http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/460/using-the-url-rewrite-module/

      --
    4. Re:Use mod_rewrite by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 1

      Hey. I resemble that remark!

      --
      Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
  6. Judging by the "OMG" page... by John+Hasler · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...the new policy will be that all text shall be in 2 point type.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
    1. Re:Judging by the "OMG" page... by sourcerror · · Score: 1

      ...the new policy will be that all text shall be in 2 point type.

      And in images ...

    2. Re:Judging by the "OMG" page... by 0racle · · Score: 1

      I kinda like the design.

      --
      "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  7. All gov.hu sites? by GermanG · · Score: 1

    Seriously?

    http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Agov.hu

  8. Maybe the Government of Panama..... by oldmeddler · · Score: 1

    .... should follow Hungary's lead. Imagine a bunch of websites designed by a high school computer class which has just learned how to use Flash.

    1. Re:Maybe the Government of Panama..... by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 1

      And while the government of Canada's web sites look OK, the page flows are obviously designed by bureaucrats. Even using the search engine, you can't find anything useful.

      --
      -- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
  9. Talk about a stupid pissing contest by Chryana · · Score: 1

    Honestly, this is ridiculous. A new administration takes over, and suddenly half of the web infrastructure of Hungary is "unworthy"? So they're going to spend gazillions of dollars to change something that worked, to make the previous administration look incompetent? This kind of pettiness hurts the very people it is supposed to serve. Whoever took this decision has clearly been promoted far beyond what his skill and intelligence will ever deserve.

    1. Re:Talk about a stupid pissing contest by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Are you a hungarian?
      Can you authoritatively say the old sites did work?

      Outdated information with no hint that it is outdated is worse than none at all.
      Sinkhole email address, where letters from people are never read, placed next to a snailmail address is worse than no email at all, just snailmail.
      Information, from which most -just- got out of date (because it's about the government, and the government just changed) needs to be changed ASAP. If there are no uniform procedures what and where needs to be changed, it's better to disable anything that is suspected of being out of date than allow the old (mis)information stay online.
      If a website is in violation of laws - say, data retention laws, it should not be left to perpetrate the violation until corrective mechanisms are in place.

      Sometimes no news is good news...

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    2. Re:Talk about a stupid pissing contest by Chryana · · Score: 1

      I agree with everything you said. However, I don't see any other government putting OMG on its front page and calling the old website "unworthy". Maybe the old site were bad, but I don't think you have any more authority than I do to say so, and I think the whole thing could have been done in a much more proper way, saying the sites are down for maintenance and such, instead of implying the previous administration was incompetent and making them look bad. The takeover was supposedly today, it seems unlikely there was much time to look at the infrastructure in place and take such a strong stand, saying everything that was done before is garbage.

    3. Re:Talk about a stupid pissing contest by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      First of all, we've all been operating under the incorrect assumption that the prior content is down. It isn't down. There's a link at the bottom of the OMB page that takes you to the old site. So there is nothing really pernicious here (just bad design)

      This "unworthy" business is an attempt to humiliate the previous government and plays into the tone of the campaign. Considering that Fidesz won so overwhelmingly in the elections, they could afford to be more gracious now. But no doubt they want to continue with the message that the parties to the Left of them are unworthy to be considered Real Hungarians.

      Still, I wish Fidesz well. They have an enormous task ahead of them. This is where the real test lies. Will they do what is necessary but unpopular or will they just work to stay in power? Certainly they will be able to go after local government spending (where the largess and patronage of the previous government really was), but will they get rid of the various child support programs (which give a lot more money to rich mothers than to poor ones). Will they get serious about property taxes (which will end up sending pensioners out of their big empty nests in the countryside)? Maybe if they keep picking symbolic fights with Slovakia and Romania so they'll be able to maintain their True Hungarian credibility as they swallow the IMF pill.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    4. Re:Talk about a stupid pissing contest by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 1

      I would say that the latest OMG action was an unstylish and rough joke.

      As I suggesting in another comment, it looks like another attempt to humiliate the opposition. And, as I said, with such a resounding electoral win, Fidesz can afford to be more gracious.

      I left Hungary in late 1994. The (two) websites were terrible back then.

      --
      Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
    5. Re:Talk about a stupid pissing contest by grin · · Score: 1

      I am Hungarian, and I authoritatively say they did (do) work.

      I have used many of them in my daily work, and while I agree that they were not perfect, and often outdated, still served their purpose rather well. Defacing them with a low quality remark, even if officially, is not very government-like behaviour. (It's like replacing the webpage of the parliament by a text "hahaha this site sucks! --regards, your new government". Childish.)

      Either replace the sites with an objective explanation (which would be, by my opinion, unacceptably irresponsible behaviour) or rather create the new ones and replace them _after_ they're done. Right now it's what it was: part of the decade old ongoing pissing contest, as the commenter observed.

  10. could they ask Spain for their ftp details by yeswework · · Score: 1

    While Panama's high school class are doing their file transfer lesson, could they ask Spain for the ftp details of their sites too and put the OMG page up? http://www.gobierno.es/ ; http://www.dgt.es/portal/ ; http://www.policia.es/ - unfathomably bad, and I could go on for a very long time. Fitch don't use these as indicators do they?

  11. competency by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 1

    Re-read the post, it applies to competent web site administrators. If MS IIS is there then you have staffing problems and incompetency at two levels: the asshole who deployed MS IIS, and the asshole manager that signed off on using MS IIS instead of getting the proper tools and skills.

    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.