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Ruby the Liberal

(26,596 posts)

111. A bigger concern might be staffing

Fri Mar 28, 2025, 11:11 PM

Mar 2025

Martin O'Malley was talking about this a few weeks ago - the lack of COBOL-trained people to step in for those aging out. He said staffing was the primary driving factor for the project and that the system was forecasted to be live in 2030. He sounded super pissed too.

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WIRED: DOGE Plans to Rebuild SSA Codebase In Months, Risking Benefits and System Collapse [View all] Dennis Donovan Mar 2025 OP

Kick SheltieLover Mar 2025 #1

Do you know who Grace M. Hopper, USN is? If you don't, you have no idea what Cobol is and what it will take to convert. usaf-vet Mar 2025 #81

I do not know of her, but I am familiar somewhat with Cobol. SheltieLover Mar 2025 #82

This message was self-deleted by its author usaf-vet Mar 2025 #92

Ty for sharing! SheltieLover Mar 2025 #93

I moved the entire post to The Way Forward forum. Hopefully, it gets the exposure there. usaf-vet Mar 2025 #94

TY for sharing. SheltieLover Mar 2025 #95

Nvidia chips will be used? flamingdem Mar 2025 #84

Isn't she the one who just about invented the whole cobol software system the navy... brush Mar 2025 #104

This is becoming worser and worser🫣 LaRaven Mar 2025 #2

Post removed Post removed Mar 2025 #34

No, because millions of dead 150-year-olds PatSeg Mar 2025 #37

Post removed Post removed Mar 2025 #39

What is your point? Walleye Mar 2025 #47

Message auto-removed Name removed Mar 2025 #53

I missed his/her answer PatSeg Mar 2025 #79

I'm deeply concerned that your time may be wasted here. dchill Mar 2025 #54

This message was self-deleted by its author dchill Mar 2025 #55

OMG - I am a Software Developer on a similar project TBA Mar 2025 #3

I worked at a huge university that employed a huge IT staff for years to upgrade a system Demovictory9 Mar 2025 #9

I agree. Replacing a huge, complicated system takes years, not months. patphil Mar 2025 #13

I Am a Data Architect - You gave me the biggest and longest laugh of the week!! hotellanai1986 Mar 2025 #62

Java... ultralite001 Mar 2025 #86

"...a more modern replacement like Java..." Cool kids don't use Java. /nt thought crime Mar 2025 #87

Hacker's Delight... ultralite001 Mar 2025 #91

Well it is 'more modern' and there's orders of magnitude more Java programmers and large systems currently in use AZJonnie Mar 2025 #131

Same here... reACTIONary Mar 2025 #51

COBOL spaghetti code FPGramma Mar 2025 #67

I worked on a Y2K project for date conversions Skittles Mar 2025 #76

Move fast and break things dalton99a Mar 2025 #4

What even is the purpose of rewriting the codebase? AmericaUnderSiege Mar 2025 #5

To get it off old computers hard to hack computers that have been working just fine and processing.. uponit7771 Mar 2025 #8

Deliberate enshittification, in other words. nt AmericaUnderSiege Mar 2025 #10

Actually there are good reasons to update the system Wiz Imp Mar 2025 #24

Elon Musk probably thinks he can do it personally. AmericaUnderSiege Mar 2025 #25

The people who can program in COBOL are old, very old dsc Mar 2025 #46

We're not all dead yet Klondike Kat Mar 2025 #64

My brother did COBOL Be The Light Mar 2025 #96

Hey, wait a minute. I'm not that old (71) and I know people younger than I that can program and support COBOL. camartinwv Mar 2025 #114

The SSA would have kept the old system up as Job 1 priority. Bengus81 Mar 2025 #73

Unstable? The hardware the system is currently running on is the most stable there on the market. sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #101

From the transcript of a Congressional hearing in 2016: Wiz Imp Mar 2025 #107

As a 30 year IBM mainframe specialist and 15 years as a mainframe system programmer, sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #108

This has nothing to do with hardware. Wiz Imp Mar 2025 #109

Just sayin', in all my years (over 45) of working with COBOL programs and operating systens, I've never heard of a sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #110

Having worked in state Government for about 35 years on Federal programs Wiz Imp Mar 2025 #120

I don't want to continue this discussion forever, but can you tell me which 'modern' systems don't sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #121

A bigger concern might be staffing Ruby the Liberal Mar 2025 #111

I'm available for a very large fee! Used to be pretty good with DB2, COBOL, CICS, and sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #112

COBOL is easy to program. DiamondShark Mar 2025 #119

True IF you have experts doing the update instead of hackers, and they give a SHIT Bengus81 Mar 2025 #138

Trojan horses and viruses come to mind... live love laugh Mar 2025 #58

To introduce them, maybe. AmericaUnderSiege Mar 2025 #61

We're fucked orangecrush Mar 2025 #6

And it's probably being "written" by Bettie Mar 2025 #7

Always keeping us on edge! Hope22 Mar 2025 #11

They should be able to do this in parallel Tickle Mar 2025 #12

I think the word "correctly" is the keyword here. patphil Mar 2025 #14

One of my first managers taught me the maxim: Buns_of_Fire Mar 2025 #38

Hell the whole fucking Musk plan is to do it incorrectly. Bengus81 Mar 2025 #72

Where are they going to get their test database of 73 million records? sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #102

"Test?" What is this "test" thing you speak of? nt Buns_of_Fire Mar 2025 #105

Potentially a source at least for some tasks would be to use a copy of the existing one AZJonnie Mar 2025 #130

Tread lightly Doge boyz. Evolve Dammit Mar 2025 #15

JFC. Is this legal? MontanaMama Mar 2025 #16

I don't think we have independent law enforcement anymore AZProgressive Mar 2025 #20

How many more people must die because of shit Musk and co are doing?! sakabatou Mar 2025 #17

A lot will die intrepidity Mar 2025 #125

No doubt they'll include hard-to-detect back doors so it can be monitored and controlled from the outside SpankMe Mar 2025 #18

The hacker kids can set up back door accounts to rip off SS? Irish_Dem Mar 2025 #32

The hacker kids can set up back door accounts to rip off SS? Irish_Dem Mar 2025 #33

Breaking what works. "Fixing" what isn't broken IronLionZion Mar 2025 #19

+1. Elon wants to break it so he alone can fix it - for billions of dollars in fees and future contracts dalton99a Mar 2025 #21

Destroy creon Mar 2025 #22

They probably need to adapt it so Big Balls can funnel our information to criminals faster. Vinca Mar 2025 #23

Under what contract? When did this go to bid? Bluetus Mar 2025 #26

Contract? We don't need no... reACTIONary Mar 2025 #57

This is guaranteed to be a disaster. Wiz Imp Mar 2025 #27

This project is clearly intended to fail. Girard442 Mar 2025 #28

Winging it is not a strategy. C_U_L8R Mar 2025 #29

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ocelot II Mar 2025 #30

If everyone who knew COBOL was already dead Klondike Kat Mar 2025 #68

True. But I'm guessing that a lot of COBOL experts are pretty old. Ocelot II Mar 2025 #69

That's what Musk wants to use his AI for. sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #103

But there are still books on COBOL programming Retrograde Mar 2025 #137

I know COBOL and I ain't dead. camartinwv Mar 2025 #115

How can this take place unilaterally without any input from our elected Representatives? jalan48 Mar 2025 #31

It's easy to rewrite it after you eliminate the 100M dead people and all those over 62! Wonder Why Mar 2025 #35

Building software quickly, isn't the problem.... Happy Hoosier Mar 2025 #36

He'll have his kiddie hackers generate code with AI HipChick Mar 2025 #85

FA and touch my SS & find out you fu*king little Nazis FAFO NotHardly Mar 2025 #40

I hope somebody manages to save the existing system. Susan Calvin Mar 2025 #41

Already sent to my maga congresscritter. It's daily, now. lindysalsagal Mar 2025 #42

I wouldn't trust Elon Musk to build, much less rebuild anything. Initech Mar 2025 #43

It can't be said too often dflprincess Mar 2025 #44

Great idea -- I did that a month ago, just in case. subterranean Mar 2025 #78

My guess, they will host it on Amazon and be client server vs old reliable big iron. LiberalArkie Mar 2025 #45

Social Security is not broken. If a thing is not broken, don't try and fix it. Go back to your own damn country Walleye Mar 2025 #48

Musk is doomed to fail! Person of Interest Mar 2025 #49

He will fail, but he won't suffer the consequences, we will. He will be fine. Walleye Mar 2025 #50

Sad but true. Person of Interest Mar 2025 #90

That's the point...to fail, so they can claim it doesn't work New Breed Leader Mar 2025 #118

If this happens, we're screwed. Joinfortmill Mar 2025 #52

Genius is as genius does. dchill Mar 2025 #56

I can't even imagine how badly they'd screw it all up. MineralMan Mar 2025 #59

Let's break it down though. Did a code update need to happen, JCMach1 Mar 2025 #60

In theory they'd have the old system on standby to switch back to if the new didn't work Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Mar 2025 #63

I was a COBOL programmer for 25 years lotusblossom Mar 2025 #65

To back you up ... sinkingfeeling Mar 2025 #106

"Gee folks, we don't know what happened but you won't get a check this month" louis-t Mar 2025 #66

Yep....fuck it all up so people will no longer get a deposit Bengus81 Mar 2025 #70

They're putting it on Java? jmowreader Mar 2025 #71

Sick evil fuckers, fucking up everything intentionally. SamKnause Mar 2025 #74

I asked a banker I know if the banking and financial industries have some kind of forbearance program for when dobleremolque Mar 2025 #75

These doge hacks can't even build a proper website C_U_L8R Mar 2025 #77

There is so much wrong with that, the last of which is that any new system can take years to properly debug, Martin68 Mar 2025 #80

"The so-called Department of Government Efficiency" - Emphasis on "so-called" and none on "efficiency." n/t Beartracks Mar 2025 #83

Cruelty is a feature. Always remember that. sakabatou Mar 2025 #88

IF 68 million plus seniors don't get a check................then we are at war................ turbinetree Mar 2025 #89

At my last job I spent the last couple of years replacing an old system. paulkienitz Mar 2025 #97

Oh wait, I know... paulkienitz Mar 2025 #98

I learned COBAL in the late 70's and SSA was recruiting COBAL programmers back then to update the system. rickford66 Mar 2025 #99

Another disaster Meowmee Mar 2025 #100

Rule #1: Know your backout plan before touching ONE LINE Buns_of_Fire Mar 2025 #113

The intention is not to rebuild a system to service SSA clients. It is going to be built to siphon money into Musk's Ford_Prefect Mar 2025 #116

The intention is to break it New Breed Leader Mar 2025 #117

Yes but the HOW it is broken means Musk steals more money while it runs into the ground. Ford_Prefect Mar 2025 #122

Yep...What are we gonna do? They will blame it on Democrats, of course. But what will we do? Eliot Rosewater Mar 2025 #127

Nine years by one estimate. moondust Mar 2025 #123

On a basic level, COBOL is better than Java for big math processing. Ursus Rex Mar 2025 #124

This is how they break it and take it. Prepare now to lose your SS. Eliot Rosewater Mar 2025 #126

They'll break it, then it will be... LudwigPastorius Mar 2025 #128

Exactly. I worry that our collective reaction will not be strong enough if you know what I mean Eliot Rosewater Mar 2025 #129

MAGA lawmakers are already blaming Dems New Breed Leader Mar 2025 #134

When they end it, steal it, they will say it is Dems fault for mishandling it. Eliot Rosewater Mar 2025 #136

Prepare how, exactly? New Breed Leader Mar 2025 #132

Talking about our REACTION to the nazis...what are WE prepared to do? Eliot Rosewater Mar 2025 #135

I've gone back to work part time Kaleva Mar 2025 #139

Rep. Don Beyer New Breed Leader Mar 2025 #133