• UK Welfare Project Boss Says He Didn't Use Open Source Because It 'Wasn't Available' Two Years Ago
    12 replies, posted
[QUOTE]The head of the UK's Department for Work and Pensions' welfare reform project, Universal Credit, was apparently explaining why the project was switching to open source technologies, when he was asked why they didn't do that originally, when the project launched two and a half years ago. His response? "such things weren’t available as they are today." While there may be more open source available today, you'd have to have tried really hard to avoid learning about what was available just two and a half years ago. Oh, and this new open source project comes after they had to write off £40.1 million worth of IT assets, covering some of the original infrastructure investment, which they say "was of good quality" but "didn't reflect the needs of the project anymore because the specifications had changed so much." So, to get this straight: you have a government welfare project, spending tens of millions of pounds on a proprietary system that was built for a different purpose than what they needed, and it was so inflexible that they have to scrap the whole thing and now start all over again. At least they're using open source technology this time, but it really sounds like these guys are somewhat technologically clueless and got taken for a ride by some tech vendors who saw easy money the first time around. Hopefully they're not using the same guys for this open source project.[/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131211/22562925541/uk-welfare-project-boss-says-he-didnt-use-open-source-because-it-wasnt-available-two-years-ago.shtml[/url]
Proprietary software strikes again.
All politicians are technologically clueless. There are very few that bother to learn or are interested in learning about new technology because hey - why should they? They can just burn this endless pot of taxpayers money to get the same result without any of the effort. Right?
Such a pisstake they go and do something to try and reform and reduce spending but end up wasting a fuckton of money and resources completely that could have been used far more effectively to help people in the first place. Fuck logic I guess, we need to take them off the government teet the damn lazy scroungers!
[QUOTE=runtime;43202727]All politicians are technologically clueless. There are very few that bother to learn or are interested in learning about new technology because hey - why should they? They can just burn this endless pot of taxpayers money to get the same result without any of the effort. Right?[/QUOTE] This just stinks of corruption. "Oh.. gosh... I didn't realize there was a cheaper way to do it, unfortunately the original project only had one bidder, and that bid was 5x any reasonable cost. Also my best friend is an executive in that company-my look at the time, gotta run!""
[QUOTE=runtime;43202727]All politicians are technologically clueless. There are very few that bother to learn or are interested in learning about new technology because hey - why should they? They can just burn this endless pot of taxpayers money to get the same result without any of the effort. Right?[/QUOTE] I bet a bunch of them had financial interests in the companies that they contracted to do it in the first place who now have basically walked off with a bunch of taxpayer money.
Why are corruption investigations so rare these days?
[QUOTE=Reshy;43203290]Why are corruption investigations so rare these days?[/QUOTE] Because corruption is so common.
[QUOTE=Reshy;43203290]Why are corruption investigations so rare these days?[/QUOTE] Because the bodies that perform the investigations are also corrupt :dance:
[QUOTE=JustExtreme;43202827]I bet a bunch of them had financial interests in the companies that they contracted to do it in the first place who now have basically walked off with a bunch of taxpayer money.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=sloppy_joes;43202813]This just stinks of corruption. "Oh.. gosh... I didn't realize there was a cheaper way to do it, unfortunately the original project only had one bidder, and that bid was 5x any reasonable cost. Also my best friend is an executive in that company-my look at the time, gotta run!""[/QUOTE] Think you guys have got it in one.
Wow what a shock that the DWP is once again being completely shit.
Elderly people should be dissalowed to hold public office.
[QUOTE=runtime;43209642]Think you guys have got it in one.[/QUOTE] Thanks Private Eye magazine :)
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