Obama discovers Technology’s White House of Horrors
Just saw this on ValleyWag, talking about the technological hurdles that Obama’s team is discovering in the White House.
One member of the White House new-media team came to work on Tuesday, right after the swearing-in ceremony, only to discover that it was impossible to know which programs could be updated, or even which computers could be used for which purposes. The team members, accustomed to working on Macintoshes, found computers outfitted with six-year-old versions of Microsoft software. Laptops were scarce, assigned to only a few people in the West Wing. The team was left struggling to put closed captions on online videos.
As a fellow Government worker (but not an employee), I can tell you that it’s not unique to the White House. All government institutions operate similarly, with everything coming from the Lowest Bidder. That means old outdated hardware, patched & duct-taped until it’s finally starts to return to the earth from whence it came. Hand-me-downs aren’t unique, they’re the norm.
Hopefully Obama can get some improved technology (afterall, it was one of the cornerstones of his campaign), and his fight will improve the situation for other government agencies. (Die MS Exchange, DIE)
