4 ms·

What exactly is the story here? Sounds like a contractor that made a poorly functioning proprietary accounting system is getting the blame for poor management p

What exactly is the story here? Sounds like a contractor that made a poorly functioning proprietary accounting system is getting the blame for poor management practices at the post office.

belter 3y ago
Some catch up reading: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062150 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062150 In a few lines, there is everything: - Developers lying - Managers lying - Lawyers hiding and editing evidence - Victims made bankrupt, at least 4 suicides - Due to UK law the post office was also the prosecutor If it sounds horrible, its because it's even worst.
- jdietrich 3y ago
  Fujitsu have a long and dismal track record on government IT projects, but the government's own lawyers argued that it would not be legal to discriminate against companies based on their past performance. The Post Office scandal is finally drawing some attention to the rotten relationship between Fujitsu and the British Government. Fujitsu are in full damage limitation mode, because there's still a lot of dirty laundry that hasn't yet been properly aired. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/fujitsu-accountable-post-office-scandal-too-important https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/fujits... https://archive.is/djAHb https://archive.is/djAHb
  - belter 3y ago
    From one of your references...There was a moment when Fujitsu was suing the UK government and at the same time still getting contracts!
    - kjkjadksj 3y ago
      As they should. The opposite would be worse.
  - krisoft 3y ago
    > the government's own lawyers argued that it would not be legal to discriminate against companies based on their past performance That in itself is systemically concerning. If you hire a guy to renovate your bathroom and they leave a broken mess, shame on the guy. But if you then hire the same guy again for your kitchen renovation shame on you for not being smarter. Now i understand that everything is much much more complicated with government contracts, but saying that you are not allowed to do the sane thing by law is not a good excuse when it is your job to make the right laws too.
    - Eddy_Viscosity2 3y ago
      You can be barred from many types of employment (private and public sector) if you have a criminal record (past performance). But companies get a free pass. They can fail, commit fraud, or worse EVERY time without consequences. I'd love to hear the history or how such a law became to be.
  - Dalewyn 3y ago
    >Fujitsu have a long and dismal track record on government IT projects, The problem is Japan, not just Fujitsu. Sincerely, Japanese software is worse than warm, putrid, liquid dog shit. Japanese programmers (note: not engineers) are the bottom of the barrel bar none.
    - pezezin 3y ago
      I live in Japan and sadly, I can confirm. Anyone who has to deal with Japanese IT systems knows that they are crap.
      - M95D 3y ago
        I'm not so sure. I operate daily a japanese Sysmex haematology analyzer and a french Stago coagulation analyzer. Even though coagulation is a much simpler procedure, the french software is omg-who-built-this-shit worse. It can't even do batch printing of results.
        pezezin 3y ago
        You are talking about embedded or industrial control systems, which are always funky. I am talking about normal software and websites that a normal person needs to interact with on a daily basis. For example, go to any random Japanese website and prepare to be greeted with a design that looks like it was taken straight out of Geocities.
    - toyg 3y ago
      Fujitsu UK is run and staffed entirely by (overpaid, entitled, often incompetent) British people.
    - belter 3y ago
      Then to spice it up, add a member of Yakuza as President... "Another Ouster at Top Deepens Fujitsu Mystery" - https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/business/global/11fujitsu.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/business/global/11fujitsu...
bemusedthrow75 3y ago
That’s not what it sounds like even at a trivial level. It has been obvious (since like 2009, in public journalism) that Fujitsu’s impact is more than just incompetence.
atoav 3y ago
They made an accounting software that couldn't add numbers correctly and destroyed many lifes on the way. Sure, others had many off-ramps — but it started with bad software and people not caring to fix it.

What exactly is the story here? Sounds like a contractor that made a poorly functioning proprietary accounting system is getting the blame for poor management practices at the post office.

belter 3y ago

Some catch up reading: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062150 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062150 In a few lines, there is everything: - Developers lying - Managers lying - Lawyers hiding and editing evidence - Victims made bankrupt, at least 4 suicides - Due to UK law the post office was also the prosecutor If it sounds horrible, its because it's even worst.

jdietrich 3y ago
Fujitsu have a long and dismal track record on government IT projects, but the government's own lawyers argued that it would not be legal to discriminate against companies based on their past performance. The Post Office scandal is finally drawing some attention to the rotten relationship between Fujitsu and the British Government. Fujitsu are in full damage limitation mode, because there's still a lot of dirty laundry that hasn't yet been properly aired. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/fujitsu-accountable-post-office-scandal-too-important https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/fujits... https://archive.is/djAHb https://archive.is/djAHb
- belter 3y ago
  From one of your references...There was a moment when Fujitsu was suing the UK government and at the same time still getting contracts!
  - kjkjadksj 3y ago
    As they should. The opposite would be worse.
- krisoft 3y ago
  > the government's own lawyers argued that it would not be legal to discriminate against companies based on their past performance That in itself is systemically concerning. If you hire a guy to renovate your bathroom and they leave a broken mess, shame on the guy. But if you then hire the same guy again for your kitchen renovation shame on you for not being smarter. Now i understand that everything is much much more complicated with government contracts, but saying that you are not allowed to do the sane thing by law is not a good excuse when it is your job to make the right laws too.
  - Eddy_Viscosity2 3y ago
    You can be barred from many types of employment (private and public sector) if you have a criminal record (past performance). But companies get a free pass. They can fail, commit fraud, or worse EVERY time without consequences. I'd love to hear the history or how such a law became to be.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  >Fujitsu have a long and dismal track record on government IT projects, The problem is Japan, not just Fujitsu. Sincerely, Japanese software is worse than warm, putrid, liquid dog shit. Japanese programmers (note: not engineers) are the bottom of the barrel bar none.
  - pezezin 3y ago
    I live in Japan and sadly, I can confirm. Anyone who has to deal with Japanese IT systems knows that they are crap.
    - M95D 3y ago
      I'm not so sure. I operate daily a japanese Sysmex haematology analyzer and a french Stago coagulation analyzer. Even though coagulation is a much simpler procedure, the french software is omg-who-built-this-shit worse. It can't even do batch printing of results.
      - pezezin 3y ago
        You are talking about embedded or industrial control systems, which are always funky. I am talking about normal software and websites that a normal person needs to interact with on a daily basis. For example, go to any random Japanese website and prepare to be greeted with a design that looks like it was taken straight out of Geocities.
  - toyg 3y ago
    Fujitsu UK is run and staffed entirely by (overpaid, entitled, often incompetent) British people.
  - belter 3y ago
    Then to spice it up, add a member of Yakuza as President... "Another Ouster at Top Deepens Fujitsu Mystery" - https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/business/global/11fujitsu.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/business/global/11fujitsu...

bemusedthrow75 3y ago

That’s not what it sounds like even at a trivial level. It has been obvious (since like 2009, in public journalism) that Fujitsu’s impact is more than just incompetence.

atoav 3y ago

They made an accounting software that couldn't add numbers correctly and destroyed many lifes on the way. Sure, others had many off-ramps — but it started with bad software and people not caring to fix it.