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California Careless

Tim Knight from Slope of Hope's picture




 

Some of you know that I founded a business called Prophet way back in 1992 and, among dozens of other products, we created ProphetCharts. I use this product to this day (constantly, in fact), and even though Prophet was sold nearly nine years ago, and its products were frozen in time, ProphetCharts is still superb and, for me, irreplaceable.

The main reason ProphetCharts has stood the test of time is because I was so relentless about polishing the product. Any time there was the smallest irksome problem, or something that could be just a little bit better, I would gripe about it until it was perfect. If I only had the last nine years to continue griping, God knows how cool ProphetCharts would be by now.

Sadly, government-created software products utterly lack this kind of level of care. Hired guns receive staggering fortunes to write fourth-rate code, and it shows. The federal ObamaCare web site exceeded the billion dollar mark a while ago, and dozens of states have had to create their own web sites. The state of my residence, California, is one of these, and their site is Covered California (which is littered, as you might guess, with images of all kinds of "diverse" families - - I'm just waiting to hit the page where the family represented is a white man, a black guy, and they're both in wheelchairs).

I used the site, and although it didn't bomb the way I've heard the federal site does, it's far from perfect; here's just one little tidbit from a help page:

1222-little

Ummm. So let's see here. This "help" page tells us:

  1. The Browse button removes a document;
  2. The Upload button lets you see at a document;
  3. The Back button (oh, sorry, "buten") lets you look at a document (which, I suppose, is different than seeing);
  4. The Remove link uploads a document
  5. The View link (errr, "butten") takes you to the prior page.

Jesus Lord, my God in heaven, did anyone even look at this even onceEvery single line is wrong. EVERY ONE. In fact, some links have are wrong in more than one way - - somewhat of a triumph, I think. Who knew there were so many ways to spell "button"?

Governments suck. The contractors that are hired by them suck even worse. Or, at a minimum, they are inept opportunists. I can't blame them, though. If someone handed me a zillion dollar check that I could just outsource to overseas programmers, I'd embrace the opportunity as well. Congratulations, taxpayers! The joke's on you. But don't worry. If you need help, just click the buten.

 

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Mon, 12/23/2013 - 11:25 | 4270771 tempo
tempo's picture

Maybe the sloppy code was intentional? If the exchanges fail, the next step will be a move to nationalized healthcare, which I believe is the goal. The law promises healthcare to 20-30 million poor people and they will mobilize to make sure they receive what was promised.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 13:29 | 4271085 MrTouchdown
MrTouchdown's picture

Yes, I think this is exactly it. Built to fail, just as the spec sheet says.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 09:51 | 4270513 Pee Wee
Pee Wee's picture

I wonder when people wake up to realize that the United States IS the FEMA camp.

You live in your own (rented/leased with taxes) shelter today with pervasive "government" saturating every aspect of your life - today.

Wonder when...

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 09:16 | 4270465 Duude
Duude's picture

I tried out the California care website and I was wondering the same thing. What 4th grader put this crap together and slung it onto the Internet?  I hope the people can sue them later for website malpractice. 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 10:57 | 4270680 czardas
czardas's picture

I was a consultant for health insurance (project managagement) and retired when everything went to India and China.  We had a system - someone drew up testing guidelines, someone created data, someone tested interfaces, another tested processing and a different team scrutinized results and - ONLY when everyone had signed off - we had a long period of parallel and regressions testing. No way these folks did anything resembling organized system control.  It carries the distinct signature of random groups (some where English is not primary) "linking" to one another without the slightest hint of even minimal testing.   NO consultant I ever worked with would allow such crap to be used.    

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 04:29 | 4270230 Gringo Viejo
Gringo Viejo's picture

We live in Concord California in the Bay Area. One of the State's ACA call centers is located here. After numerous problems on the website and failed promises of return phone calls, my old lady went to the call center. Not only would they not extend help on a one on one basis, they wouldn't even let her in the building.

We're in our 60s. Ain't that a peach?

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 10:56 | 4270689 czardas
czardas's picture

Here in Tennessee we might not have let you in but we would have given you a smile, some nice snacks and a "Bless your heart".

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 04:03 | 4270218 rationaldemocracy
rationaldemocracy's picture

I agree this is a sham. We need to take to the sreets and demand that Obama fix the website so we can all sign up without having to be beta testers.

 

 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 11:24 | 4270763 lex parsimoniae
lex parsimoniae's picture

"so we can all sign up.." hoping you just forgot the sarc tag..

regardless: I.will.not.comply

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 01:17 | 4270089 Promethus
Promethus's picture

While the ZH crowd sees this story as a negative, I see it as a positive. With zero programing knowledge and no experience I could still be a big $ consultant / contractor for any Obama care project. The world is my oyster!

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 01:17 | 4270088 Promethus
Promethus's picture

While the ZH crowd sees this story as a negative, I see it as a positive. With zero programing knowledge and no experience I could still be a big $ consultant / contractor for any Obama care project. The world is my oyster!

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 09:26 | 4270481 Duude
Duude's picture

Well sure. Google radical left wing organizations and join as many activist organizations as you have the time. If you play your cards right (left) you will surely make the contacts to millions in untapped contracts. Just don't forget to grease the palms that feed you.  

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 04:38 | 4270235 Bruce Flea
Bruce Flea's picture

Let's turn that into an algo.

//------------------------------

double my_oyster()

{

   int NoProgramming = 0;

   bool Consult          = true;

   double big$           =  0.0;

   double govCheck   = 1,000,000,000;

 

    if ( (NoProgramming <1) && (Consult==true)){

     big_Oyster = big$ + govCheck;

     } // my bank starting balance + gov donation

return(big_Oyster);

}

 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 11:40 | 4270813 TerminalDebt
TerminalDebt's picture

Syntax error: big_Oyster unknown, please apply for a government job, you qualify.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 00:46 | 4270040 TrustbutVerify
TrustbutVerify's picture

And the Obama acolyte hipsters saw themselves as computer gurus!  What an effin' laugh. (Of course, the real problem is the Obamacare bill itself.) 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 00:13 | 4269975 kw2012
kw2012's picture

I'm in IT, Telecom. 

 

For some reason the logic goes like this. Pay me 40 million dollars a year in options because I have to make the hard decisions like oursourcing IT work to India because the bill rate is 30% less. Good Luck convincing the CEO without destroying your career that outsourcing there will require twice as many workers (even if the initial quote is for the same amount) it will take twice as long and it will produce twice an many errors. Further the company will possibly lose market share as it can't respond rapidly to the market place and may lose market share to frustrated customers. Which leads to a low Net Promoter Score(NPS) that the CEO uses to set employee management compensation plans and that score goes unmet, no bonus tied to the score, creates lower moral stateside and then to help make up revenue losses the CEO sells all of its private customer information to the NSA. And for that, the CEO makes 10's of millions every year.

 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 08:07 | 4270378 avenriv
avenriv's picture

You guys are so anti-capitalistic.

Private sector in full motion.

Please do not criticize the private companies, they do a good job except properly testing their products. This is one of the outsourcing marvels.

Do not criticize a private company, its aim is to maximise the earnings. Will an american developer work for $5/h ?

It is not the website, what is BEHIND the website is interesting.

It is like you do not understand that behind the body there is an engine and a transmision and there is the issue.

The website is put in motion by the engine behind, which in this case is a quite convoluted one having to deal with federal goverment entities, private entities, state entities.

The technical main issue is the lack of proper testing when you use so many disparate products from Oracle, MS, SAP and others, interconnected and exchanging data.

This is the failure of the US private companies hired to build the system (so it is NOT a website, it is a system) and of the client, which in this case it is the goverment, which did not ask for the complete validation.

So, please, do not hit the private capitalist companies.

 

Thu, 01/02/2014 - 00:26 | 4270622 backwaterdogs
backwaterdogs's picture

Well....there certainly is absolutely no complex integration issues in regards to the help documentation described in this article.

I too am in the IT field and even particpate in the outsource fury, both for IT and engineering, to India.  I live it all day, everyday.

Ridiculous mispellings, obviously wrong descriptions, etc.  These issues are probably very indicitive of the quality of code 'BEHIND' the ui(user interface).

Regardless of the complexity or lack there of, some NG organization was paid money to produce a functioning product, which they have apparently failed to deliver, but it would seem that anecdotally at least, they were still compensated.  Now, IF this was work specified and carried out by real capitaliist...they would not have gotten paid, the quaiity of work would have been monitored and the product would not/should not have been deployed with such errors.

I doubt seriouisly there was a true capitalist within a 1000 miles of the specification, building, testing and deployment.  The whole thing at least appear to be nothing more than some well connected, yet inept 'compoanies' on this inside track to milk big bucks from tax payers.

I consider myself a captilist, but the so called capitalists you suggest we not be so critical of?   They are just chasing the cheap labor for short term profit, not to invest capital for real or sustaining returns.

Our so called capitalist companies are getting such ridiculous cheap labor because people are willing to live in a shit hole...very poor infrastructure, no basic hygeiene, etc.  Just like Mexico or China....no environmental 'bullshit' to get in the way of making of profit.

I think we need a better operational definition of the term capitalist.

 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 07:23 | 4270326 Rafferty
Rafferty's picture

As a former VP for one of the world's leading IT research and advisory companies I can assure you that what you say is 100% correct.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 23:33 | 4269907 angryBuddhist
angryBuddhist's picture

The single point to keep in mind is that government projects are never ever designed or contracted out to get it right on the first go , or the second, or third, or ever for that matter. So long as they are a total cluster-fuck, the money will keep on rolling in to create patches, bug fixes and redesigns. It's all about sucking on the taxpayer hind (and front) tits for as long as you can.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 23:51 | 4269935 All Risk No Reward
All Risk No Reward's picture

Funny how the software of the unConstitutional spy grid works so well, isn't it?

People will now blame government software for their lack of insurance instead of the insurance companies that bought off government to screw over the chumptocracy...  again!

When a magician shakes his right hand...  look at the left hand...  or at least elsewhere.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 00:05 | 4269961 DeadFred
DeadFred's picture

Don't bet on it. Nothing .GOV does works the way it should and even the spies have to deal with this. This is the single biggest ray of sunshine I see in this mess. When they send out the FEMA troops with the hollow point bullets to round up the dissidents you can be sure that many of them will go to the right address in the wrong city.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 08:12 | 4270379 new game
new game's picture

or the wrong address in the right city.

 or wrong address, wrong city

or right address right city

odds are 75percent you are safe...

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 22:55 | 4269811 Diogenes
Diogenes's picture

Saw a remark from a programmer a while back that he could have written the whole thing himself in 3 months. He would not have time to pretty it up, but at least it would have worked.

I think he meant, if he had a suitable generic software program to start with.

I don't know if this is possible or if he was bullshitting. Any comments from programmers?

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 13:24 | 4271064 Gimp
Gimp's picture

Probably would take longer  than three months.

Python is an amazing programming langauge that could have definitely take care of the front end and some  if not all of the logic if you are a good developer. (Python is  the number one hacking language in the world for a reason - very flexible)

If you look at a web-site think three components - User-interface (front end) - Logic (middle piece that connects everything and makes buttons and other tools work) Database (Connection and all things needed to make database useable)

Agree with other commentators that you have a front end trying to connect and sort through massive databases on different back ends /platforms(databases). Most of these systems are written in different languages that don't play well together. This is not easy but not impossible to make happen.  You know the saying - "Get what you pay for"

 

 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 12:22 | 4270906 Hey Assholes
Hey Assholes's picture

Most likely they were following a waterfall methodology, instead of an agile methodology. There were probably many man hours writting and modifying the requirements documents and the design documents, while the programmers were told to start writting code.

I can imagine the clusterfuck of heavy process, changing requirements, and a thousand indians to keep busy.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 07:24 | 4270330 Rafferty
Rafferty's picture

There's nothing particularly complex in the programming.  There could be a major systems integration requirement though and that can be challenging. I assume the cost included harware and comms as well. If not it ranks as one of the most scandalous tender awards in technology history.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 01:49 | 4270115 the0ther
the0ther's picture

It's not impossible. Given a gifted developer, the site itself is pretty simple. 

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 23:11 | 4269840 michael_engineer
michael_engineer's picture

Some have "the" gift.  Some don't.  

Whether that gift is a free Xmas present, or the ability to handle complexity well and diagram out complex logic using structure charts, and a knowledge of both Electrical Engineering and Software Engineering so they know what to expect from both the hardware and the software, is debatable.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 22:27 | 4269697 michael_engineer
michael_engineer's picture

I know a guy who lives out of his truck in Silicon Valley that could get all that code right, plus recode their nuclear weapons, their antiskid breaking, their collision avoidance algorithms (and fix the latent bugs like someones wet dream of a penalty box for 3rd time dropping a weak signaled target acquisition where for 30 minutes you ignore that other plane even if it's nose to nose with you), their once in a blue moon mixed track bug plagueing pilots and ATC'ers (and making MSM headlines as a result), their data loading, their cryptoAPI, their flap slat controller, their weather radar, their liquid propellant gun, their field artillery tactical data system, their LAV control panels, and their comanche displays.  A Toyota rep might have even talked to him about "getting distributed software issues right".  Screw my apps free version now, buy the full featured parent app you mugs.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 21:27 | 4269640 worbsid
worbsid's picture

I understand where you are coming from. When I was programming our motto was, "No problem phone calls from customers at night."  All our customers were 7/24 casinos so we worked our butts off to make sure the code didn't fail...ever.  Would you believe our PC operating system was OS/2 (ever heard of it?) and our PC's tied into an AS400. 

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 07:30 | 4270332 Rafferty
Rafferty's picture

OS/2 was a fine operating system, streets ahead of Windows/DOS.  But too demanding on hardware and Bill Gates (the philanthropist guy) didled IBM and went on to become...............the developer of the worst operating systems the world has ever seen.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 23:41 | 4269917 Tijuana Donkey Show
Tijuana Donkey Show's picture

I still have an unopened copy of OS2 warp on my desk. #zerofail

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 21:02 | 4269589 kchrisc
kchrisc's picture

Now remember:

1) Government is a criminal organization

2) Government always accomplishes the opposite of the stated goal. Always. That is because the stated goal is always cover for more theft.

3) Government has no resources of their own and so must steal all that they have. Therefore, government can only produce poverty, misery and death.

 

"The only solution to those of government is the guillotine."

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 20:46 | 4269559 JerseyJoe
JerseyJoe's picture

Tim you speak the unspeakable truth.  Geez how refreshing.   

Where we from here is anyone's guess but I find it hard to believe it gets better. 

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 20:44 | 4269555 justsayin2u
justsayin2u's picture

US fed and state govvies - totally effed - all the time.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 20:12 | 4269491 I Write Code
I Write Code's picture

some links have are wrong in more than one way

do tell

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 20:43 | 4269558 nmewn
nmewn's picture

Yeah...but he wasn't paid a billion dollars in public money to write a law, then lie about what was in it, promote it, concieve of a "glitchy" website filled with security flaws, "write code" for it or regulate the law itself.

Thats all on O'Barry ;-)

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:52 | 4269364 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

Thanks Tim.  Not that we didn't know some of this, but seeing the horrible details is always shocking.

Couldn't we get better work for a fiver, or at least a few laughs?

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:44 | 4269347 Papasmurf
Papasmurf's picture

Remarkably, software programmers are better at programming than they are at spelling.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 01:50 | 4270113 dunce
dunce's picture

There is no doubt in my mind that the contractor has double complied with the minority hiring guide lines as that is what is reflected in the programs. Minimal credentials gotten with inflated grades at second rate schools. Even worse is political cronies at the very top.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 07:31 | 4270336 Rafferty
Rafferty's picture

Exactly.  And the whole diversity/AA crap, allied to outsourcing, is literally destroying the American tech industry. You won't see the Chinese fall for this diversity crap.  No, that's only for Whites, or more accurately, goyim.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:53 | 4269360 Emergency Ward
Emergency Ward's picture

"Californians Unighted for deversity in spelling -- its not wrong, its just different -- let's celibrate."

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 19:28 | 4269429 Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Let's celibate and start the gene pool purge.

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 22:58 | 4269819 michael_engineer
michael_engineer's picture

As Frank would say, the meek shall inherit nothing.

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 09:38 | 4270509 James-Morrison
James-Morrison's picture

If we read the ACA act we would have found this gem:

"If you lik your language, you can kept it."

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:45 | 4269343 lasvegaspersona
lasvegaspersona's picture

funny...but sad...but thanks for the laugh (he weeps)

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:43 | 4269339 Exponere Mendaces
Exponere Mendaces's picture

< Clicks on button to check BTC Balance >

Yep, all systems go.

 

Sun, 12/22/2013 - 18:34 | 4269316 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Go easy on those programmers from India here on a Visa.

Believe me, I've worked on these kinds of projects; the people at the upper and top management took most of the money for themselves and trips, conferences, and catered luncheons - then they low-balled the work to the lowest common denominator.

Little to no quality control, pass the buck blame chain, zero accountability beyond "Oh, we fired that guy".

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 01:55 | 4270118 the0ther
the0ther's picture

In my experience 9 out of 10 of those low cost developers from India are pretty bad.

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