I started working at IBM ~3 months ago, as a DevOps Engineer. Joining IBM was probably the worst mistake that I have ever made. My group (IBM is a big company) is a complete cluster-f. No leadership. Managers have no knowledge of the technology that they are in charge of. Worst of all, we are forced to use IBM's proprietary, shitty tools (Notes, SameTime, Rational Team Concert, UrbanCode Deploy, IBM-specific JRE, Retain, ect, ect.). I started looking for a new job after two weeks. I would not buy anything from us.
IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
81–90 of 91 posts
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#82Wait, wait... " "If you think about something like what goes on in Nauru, if a child is injured it's not the government that's responsible, it's Serco, Transfield or whoever else," she said, referring to the private contractors that run Australia's offshore detention centres. " Private offshore detention centers for children? What's going on down there?
It's all part of the 'Pacific Solution'[0], the main component of Australia's policy of nobody reaching the country without a visa (including asylum seekers). Australia essentially pays Nauru to host an immigration detention centre, and sends asylum seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat there, regardless of age or legitimacy of claims or anything else. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Solution
FWIW, pretty much every country in the world has a policy of only allowing entry to people with visas. Where and how you acquire that visa varies, naturally, but requiring one is the default position.
Yes, plenty of countries let you turn up at the airport and obtain a visa on arrival - but if you look like you're moving in (no onward tickets, etc) you're at the very least going to have an interesting discussion, and maybe get a free flight back.
This particular situation is undeniably complex.
> ... sends asylum seekers who tried to reach Australia by
> boat there, regardless of age or legitimacy of claims
> or anything else.
I think a big part of the problem is language. Like the life/choice descriptors used by people with strong opinions on abortion in the US -- hey, who doesn't love life and choice?
In AU one side will call these people asylum seekers, or refugees - the other will call them illegal immigrants. In many cases, both appellations are technically correct, but I think in almost all cases both appellations are non-helpful.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#83IBM also caused $100,000,000 waste on New Zealand's failed INCIS police computer system.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I could build it in an hour for free The big problem is that it's not beneficial for IBM/Oracle/Accenture/$consultancy to quickly deliver a stable solution that works well. They make much more money by having seven layers of middle management committees vote together a crappy solution that will need five years of support/upgrades and then a replacement. In other industries, like construction, the same fundamental p…
"I mean, have you ever heard of a building project going 3x over budget and then not actually delivering a building at all?" Construction projects go over budget and are late all the time. Remember the big dig? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig The Sydney Opera house was 10 years late and 1475% over budget: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House#Completion_... Anyone who's had renovations done to their…
Government construction projects, at least in the US, "go over budget and are late all the time".
Private construction? Not so much, certainly nothing like 3x the estimated cost.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
"I mean, have you ever heard of a building project going 3x over budget and then not actually delivering a building at all?" Construction projects go over budget and are late all the time. Remember the big dig? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig The Sydney Opera house was 10 years late and 1475% over budget: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House#Completion_... Anyone who's had renovations done to their…
Government construction projects, at least in the US, "go over budget and are late all the time". Private construction? Not so much, certainly nothing like 3x the estimated cost.
Who performs the work on government projects? Private companies.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
IBM is older, larger, and has better insurance.
Give me a product that works over any of those.
Like some FGT[0]s?
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's all part of the 'Pacific Solution'[0], the main component of Australia's policy of nobody reaching the country without a visa (including asylum seekers). Australia essentially pays Nauru to host an immigration detention centre, and sends asylum seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat there, regardless of age or legitimacy of claims or anything else. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Solution
FWIW, pretty much every country in the world has a policy of only allowing entry to people with visas. Where and how you acquire that visa varies, naturally, but requiring one is the default position. Yes, plenty of countries let you turn up at the airport and obtain a visa on arrival - but if you look like you're moving in (no onward tickets, etc) you're at the very least going to have an interesting discussion, and…
It is _not_ technically correct to call asylum seekers 'illegal immigrants'.
The 1951 UN Refugee Convention (Australia is a signatory) recognises that refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive and whether or not they hold valid travel or identity documents.
http://www.asrc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/it-not-ill...
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I could build it in an hour for free The big problem is that it's not beneficial for IBM/Oracle/Accenture/$consultancy to quickly deliver a stable solution that works well. They make much more money by having seven layers of middle management committees vote together a crappy solution that will need five years of support/upgrades and then a replacement. In other industries, like construction, the same fundamental p…
"I mean, have you ever heard of a building project going 3x over budget and then not actually delivering a building at all?" Construction projects go over budget and are late all the time. Remember the big dig? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig The Sydney Opera house was 10 years late and 1475% over budget: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House#Completion_... Anyone who's had renovations done to their…
Yes, construction projects can frequently be late and over budget, but they always end up with an actual building when they're done.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
"I mean, have you ever heard of a building project going 3x over budget and then not actually delivering a building at all?" Construction projects go over budget and are late all the time. Remember the big dig? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig The Sydney Opera house was 10 years late and 1475% over budget: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House#Completion_... Anyone who's had renovations done to their…
Yes, construction projects can frequently be late and over budget, but they always end up with an actual building when they're done.
I'm trying to be charitable in my interpretation, but "always" is a strong word:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Rakyat
http://gizmodo.com/the-sad-fate-of-the-worlds-six-tallest-un...
But rather than split hairs: I interpreted the underlying assertion being that construction is more predictable and reliable than software. I've heard this in other contexts as well. And that didn't pass the gut check for me, because I can think anecdotally of many construction projects (and home renovations) that were way over budget and took longer than expected.
Re: IBM's reputation at risk in wake of census bungle
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
IBM: You can buy better, but you can't pay more.
Incredible Billing Machine
We must have had a dozen of these in the 1980s. An internal IBM one was I've Been Moved. Others I can still remember include Install Bigger Memories, It's Better Manually, Itty Bitty Machines, and Idiotic Bumbling Morons....