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I worked on the shuttle program for a while and was debugging some fortran code that called honeywell assembly as part of a rewrite of the DOLILU program. It ca
by technofiend 12y ago
I worked on the shuttle program for a while and was debugging some fortran code that called honeywell assembly as part of a rewrite of the DOLILU program. It calculated stress on the shuttles frame based on winds aloft data collected by balloon on launch day.
The code passed in a jump parameter and the assembly jumped back to the appropriate fortran label. Over the years, all the exits except one had been coded out. I asked my boss if we could just make the fortran code jump directly from point A to point B since that's all the assembly did. He answered my 6 months contract would be done before the change made it through committee.
The thing about process is people rarely lessen or remove it once it's in place. But it's possible to do a classic waterfall project on time and on budget, look at any bank release of ATM software. Of course losing an orbiter or losing a plane isn't the same class of problem as losing a transaction, but it is possible to do the projects properly.
The fact the Obama administration had to bring in outside help to rescue their most recent major rollout (Obamacare insurance info websites) tells you there's no incentive to get it right or on time in these contracts. You just keep working and the bills keep getting paid.
These contracts need real oversight and financial penalties for failure to meet deadlines. Assuming of course they also include some iron-clad agreements about requirements not changing.
- dasil003 12y agoI'm not saying your wrong, but shuttle software and even ATMs are different from Obamacare. The former has specific operational requirements that are relatively clear. Health care by contrast is a clusterfuck of legislation piled on top a multitude of tangential legacy systems. I don't doubt that the talent to get it right exists, but it requires more juice than just an engineer saying "this thing won't fly". The problem is that legislation is itself code, but it is written by people who have no nuanced knowledge of the downstream implications, and perhaps more importantly, no incentive to ever refactor.
- dba7dba 12y agoAgree. Physics doesn't lie. But Politicians lie (or don't know what they are talking about OR pretend to not know what they are talking about).
- cmurf 12y agoOr both at the same time. They answer the question they wish you had asked. http://jezebel.com/male-politician-thinks-that-your-vagina-and-stomach-are-1687558660 http://jezebel.com/male-politician-thinks-that-your-vagina-a...
- bsder 12y agoObamacare and shuttle software are completely different political beasts. Obamacare is a standard government contract. The contractor is piling money as fast as possible into today so that when the government pulls the plug tomorrow he's already made a profit. The shuttle software is a safety critical system with a defined budget and schedule. There is no overall incentive to do things immediately and badly as the political fallout for failure will be very severe.