"Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

I see two meanings: 1. He's protesting DOGE's reignition of the SSA codebase overhaul 2. He's making a joke that you don't dare touch a running legacy system because you'll break it

He probably means the second, but the first was my initial thought (I hear COBOL programmers make upwards of $1000/hr). Fixing these old systems has been on my mind.

Re: "Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

#6

Post by jpfr » Sun, Apr 06, 2025, 4:58 PM UTC

edgineer wrote: post #5

I see two meanings: 1. He's protesting DOGE's reignition of the SSA codebase overhaul 2. He's making a joke that you don't dare touch a running legacy system because you'll break it He probably means the second, but the first was my initial thought (I hear COBOL programmers make upwards of $1000/hr). Fixing these old systems has been on my mind.

Given the context he means the first.

Re: "Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

#7

Post by FooBarBizBazz » Sun, Apr 06, 2025, 5:25 PM UTC

edgineer wrote: post #5

I see two meanings: 1. He's protesting DOGE's reignition of the SSA codebase overhaul 2. He's making a joke that you don't dare touch a running legacy system because you'll break it He probably means the second, but the first was my initial thought (I hear COBOL programmers make upwards of $1000/hr). Fixing these old systems has been on my mind.

Why not 1 because 2?

Re: "Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

#8

Post by benzado » Sun, Apr 06, 2025, 10:11 PM UTC

edgineer wrote: post #5

I see two meanings: 1. He's protesting DOGE's reignition of the SSA codebase overhaul 2. He's making a joke that you don't dare touch a running legacy system because you'll break it He probably means the second, but the first was my initial thought (I hear COBOL programmers make upwards of $1000/hr). Fixing these old systems has been on my mind.

That’s me in the photo. I don’t trust the guy behind recalled Cybertrucks and exploding rockets to oversee a total rewrite of a functioning, mission critical system.

Re: "Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

#9

Post by edgineer » Mon, Apr 07, 2025, 12:07 AM UTC

benzado wrote: post #8

edgineer wrote: post #5

I see two meanings: 1. He's protesting DOGE's reignition of the SSA codebase overhaul 2. He's making a joke that you don't dare touch a running legacy system because you'll break it He probably means the second, but the first was my initial thought (I hear COBOL programmers make upwards of $1000/hr). Fixing these old systems has been on my mind.

That’s me in the photo. I don’t trust the guy behind recalled Cybertrucks and exploding rockets to oversee a total rewrite of a functioning, mission critical system.

Thanks for correcting me. Didn't realize people held that opinion.

Re: "Hands off working COBOL code" –protest sign in NYC

#10

Post by aisenik » Mon, Apr 07, 2025, 5:44 AM UTC

edgineer wrote: post #9

benzado wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s me in the photo. I don’t trust the guy behind recalled Cybertrucks and exploding rockets to oversee a total rewrite of a functioning, mission critical system.

Thanks for correcting me. Didn't realize people held that opinion.

These guys just wiped 14,000 tapes to put the government's backups and record keeping in the cloud. To "save" $1m. And bragged about it.

They aren't competent, they are malicious. Musk scraped some racist blackhat Kiwifarms posters together and is their leader in a putsch with the goal of systematically destroying the United States government.

The fact that you couldn't fathom people are opposed to his machinations suggests to me you exist within a heavily-manipulated and controlled media environment. These guys are literally white supremacist fascists plunging the global economy into depression, disappearing the populace into foreign death camps, and arming up for WW3. This is not an exaggeration.