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NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 07:39:13 +0000
Subject: Re: Rewriting SSA. Is This A Chance For GNU/Linux?
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From: c186282 <c186282@nnada.net>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:38:52 -0400
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On 3/30/25 11:08 PM, pothead wrote:
> On 2025-03-30, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
>> On Sun, 30 Mar 2025 03:42:18 -0400, c186282 wrote:
>>
>>>     As for the SSA (and IRS) ... reports are that they're STILL using
>>>     1960s computers for certain operations and thus really can't
>>>     integrate anything.
>>
>> https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-
>> doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/

   Oh, I agree ... trying to "rapidly rebuild" the "Just Works"
   code-base is VERY risky. As said, most of those old COBOL
   apps on those old computers were basically PERFECT - and
   the fallout from being IMperfect is SEVERE - both politically
   and per-individual affected. Extreme caution is advised.

   BUT, on the flip, there ARE significant gains in more modern
   'integration'/linking - makes everything more smooth to the
   agencies, for consumers. Need far fewer govt employees.

   Double-flip ... makes it all the easier for Vlad/Xi/Kim to
   trash EVERYTHING in a single stroke.

   What, you expected ONE easy answer ??? It's never
   THAT easy !!!  :-)

>> I've never dealt with SSA other than as a consumer. However I have had to
>> deal with the DOI's IMARS (Incident Management Analysis and Reporting
>> System) that was deployed around 2012. Great fun!
>>
>> Then there is the FBI's NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System)
>> that is meant to replace the UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) system that went
>> back to the 1920s.  The format for submitting data is a moving target and
>> crime in the US is under-reported since many agencies can't manage to
>> submit their data successfully.
>>
>> Based on those two, I give the chance of updating the SSA system in less
>> than 10 years a very low probability. The US government's attention span
>> is more like 10 days than 10 years so good luck. Unlike the other two CFs
>> I have a personal interest in continuing to receive my checks every month.
>>
> Financial institutions are still running COBOL as well as other legacy
> systems like TPF.
> They also run Linux on mainframes in logical partitions.
> More recently is the adoption of the MongoDB platform which also runs on
> 'old iron' mainframes.
> The once dead mainframe has made a huge comeback due to virtualization and
> reliability due to being N+1 at a minimum.
> However the big market is in storage devices and programming to support AI.
> 
> the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.

   As said, a LOT of the daily stuff these agencies do
   was originated on 1960s COBOL-fired hardware. The
   narrow-tie programmers back then were DAMNED GOOD
   at a level rarely seen these days (esp at M$).

   But, time and need marches on.

   However the govt/bureaucracy approach is "If it WORKS ...".
   I generally don't disagree, good is good. But yesteryears
   good MAY not meet today's needs/expectations alas.

   SOME people with GOOD/BROAD skills need to go over that
   60s codebase. Maybe NOT trust Gen-Z so much, eh ? Hell,
   they've never seen one line of COBOL and the work ethic
   is, well .... you'd do better with imports from Bangalore.

   Re-Write ... you'll all hate me ... I'm gonna suggest
   PYTHON first and RUST second. Python is infinitely
   capable these days, and readable. Rust is kinda a lot
   like 'C' - but 'C' can TOO easily hide LOTS of problems
   and back-doors and attack vectors (check this weeks M$
   list of buffer-overflow attacks).

   Ada ... umm ... NO. I've done a few 500 line apps in
   that and it's just TORTURE. I understand, but it's
   still just TORTURE. The ultra-anal approach makes
   even the smallest thing drag out FOREVER (which, of
   course, bcrats just LOVE). Programmers immediately
   have to write lots of cheats around its anal typing
   system or they'll go insane - which, of course, will
   defeat the intent.

   DID get a double-linked index list to other double-
   linked lists of dynamic data to work in Ada, but
   well GEEZ !!! Never again !

   Poor lady Lovelace ... what DID they do in your name ?

   The SSA/MEDICARE/IRS replacement code has to have it
   like 99.9% RIGHT the FIRST time - and we need that
   time VERY SOON. Musk isn't wrong ... but I'm not quite
   sure the intellectual MEANS exists anymore. This shit
   is BROAD and DEEP.

   DoD code ... kinda needs to be 100% right off the bat
   OR ELSE. Old enough to remember when Russian systems
   "detected" nuke launches from the USA ... only ONE
   Russian officer called foul - and was DEMOTED. The
   ORDER at the time was "Fire On Warning !". Yep,
   it's THAT bad.

   Maybe 'AI' can help ... but it'll be very hard to
   follow its 'thinking' on stuff, check up behind.

   And that's my take on it all. We NEED to 'move
   forwards', but there ARE some big gotchas.

   "It's time to give your vagina the support it needs"
   - this instant's TV commercial, really   :-)