PresidentObama on GitHub • Hacker News Board

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#41

Post by jonalmeida » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 6:45 AM UTC

fineIllregister wrote: post #38

pmalynin wrote: post #5

It'd be interesting to see a system where a government had a GitHub and people could submit laws as pull-requests

They do. Type up a bill and mail it to your Congresspeople. I don't see how the medium changes proposing laws.

I think the difference is that with a PR it's public knowledge if the government responds/acknowledges/denies the request. It's also easier to type a bill and email it rather than use snail mail (I'm assuming that's what you meant).

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#42

Post by jonalmeida » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 6:47 AM UTC

campers wrote: post #29

He needs to add a repo for his Hour of Code effort! ( http://www.wired.com/2014/12/obama-becomes-first-president-w... )

Can you imagine the bashing the internet would give him? Or the comments on how he should have written it in language x instead of y.

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#43

Post by timothya » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 6:51 AM UTC

pmalynin wrote: post #5

It'd be interesting to see a system where a government had a GitHub and people could submit laws as pull-requests

Unfortunately, such a system would be very difficult for U.S. law. See this previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3968653

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#44

Post by datashovel » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 7:44 AM UTC

Looks like I've found my obligatory "follow" on GitHub. It's probably going to be far more interesting than following Linus Torvalds on Twitter! :)

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#45

Post by datashovel » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 8:04 AM UTC

datashovel wrote: post #44

Looks like I've found my obligatory "follow" on GitHub. It's probably going to be far more interesting than following Linus Torvalds on Twitter! :)

That being said, I'm extremely happy that this is happening. It has the potential to bring alot of exposure to the idea of "open source" to government. I think it can and will work if adopted. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#46

Post by Kiro » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 8:19 AM UTC

https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135

Interesting first comment.

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#47

Post by joelennon » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 9:27 AM UTC

Let's hope he keeps the nuclear launch codes out of his code and in environment variables.

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#48

Post by hoggle » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 9:35 AM UTC

Kiro wrote: post #46

https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 Interesting first comment.

Github user saeedmalekpour:

Mr. President, I have been in Evin Prison, Iran for 6 years because my open source code was found on a website the regime didn't like. In the spirit of freedom, democracy and the hour of code - please help me in any way you can (account administered and message sent with permission of Saeed's family) Proof: https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/518460637916446720

More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57pfl6nkD0

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#49

Post by atlbeer » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 10:03 AM UTC

clamprecht wrote: post #40

nfoz wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why?

In general I want more politicians to be engineers or math/science types. Right now they're 95% lawyers, so they don't really represent the rest of society. I'm an engineer-type so I want to be better represented, I guess. I think it could happen. If Aaron Swartz had lived, I think he may have eventually run for office. We still have some in the HN community who could enter politics.

Could you not consider legislatures programmers as well?

Programmers create software. Lawyers create law.

Re: PresidentObama on GitHub

#50

Post by kjjw » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 10:22 AM UTC

Amazing but I'm a little bit frustrated at the username he chose. 'PresidentObama'. One day he will no longer be president and then maybe he will understand the difference between identity and value.