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Trump is Launching a New Tech Group To 'Transform and Modernize' the US Govt (recode.net) 192

Posted by msmash from the modernizing-things dept.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday he has signed an executive order creating a new technology council to "transfer and modernize" the U.S. government's IT systems. From a report: The gathering is part of a new effort, called the American Technology Council, commissioned by Trump in an executive order signed this morning. The effort seeks to bring leading government officials together with Silicon Valley's top minds in order to "transform and modernize" the aging federal bureaucracy "and how it uses and delivers information." Trump isn't the first sitting U.S. president to look to Silicon Valley in an attempt to bring government into the digital age. His predecessor, former President Barack Obama, similarly launched efforts like the U.S. Digital Service, which the administration billed at the time as a "startup at the White House" that sought to pair tech experts with federal agencies that needed help. Over 20 technology chief executives will attend meetings at the White House in early June to talk about improving government information technology, the report adds.
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Trump is Launching a New Tech Group To 'Transform and Modernize' the US Govt More

Trump is Launching a New Tech Group To 'Transform and Modernize' the US Govt

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  • Nerd Harder! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    This will be where they implement the backdoors that aren't....

  • Jared? (Score:3)

    by DogDude ( 805747 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @12:46PM (#54334259)
    What happened to Jared (his son-in-law)? I thought he was supposed to be modernizing the government.

    • Got et by a swamp gator.

      • Re:Jared? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Joce640k ( 829181 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @01:17PM (#54334563) Homepage

        Yep. The problem isn't that the government isn't "digital" enough, the problem is that it's run by people who wouldn't recognize the scientific method if it was served to them on a plate with a sprig of parsley on top.

        If he goes to Silicon Valley all he'll find is a bunch of people who want to sell him a lot of useless new computers+software under a lucrative government contract.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          First you need to understand how government operates...

          And before y'all get the snide jokes rolling, recognize that our government is largely more effective than most on the planet AND that solutions intended for private sector fail horribly in this space (look up Mcnamara how his business-like management of the Vietnam War failed)

          http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/09/world/mcnamara-recalls-and-regrets-vietnam.html

          • If the US Gov. is "more effective than most" it's mostly because it has more money to burn.

            • nah we just have less visible corruption. Interactions with federal civil servants don't require you to provide a bribe to get them to do their job.

        • And then the Trump Tweet claiming "Oracle sold me the best deal ever for routers!"

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Etcetera ( 14711 )

          Yep. The problem isn't that the government isn't "digital" enough, the problem is that it's run by people who wouldn't recognize the scientific method if it was served to them on a plate with a sprig of parsley on top.

          If he goes to Silicon Valley all he'll find is a bunch of people who want to sell him a lot of useless new computers+software under a lucrative government contract.

          If he goes to Silicon Valley all he'll find is a bunch of people who fetishize 'data' and algorithmic analysis over critical thinking, reasoning, reliability engineering, or domain knowledge skills. We tried this in 2008 and a bunch of the data experts failed then too, because this shit is actually hard and usually doesn't get solved by the creative destruction of a new image recognition app to replace bureaucrats.

    • I thought so too, but I think he read the order as "transfer and monetize"

    • What happened to Jared (his son-in-law)? I thought he was supposed to be modernizing the government.

      He was the spokesman for Subway, but he got into some trouble I heard.

  • Please don't move to public cloud. (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I worry about government use of modified public cloud services. We should ban government from using pure cloud solutions because the companies can hold the government hostage with the "big off switch". The gov needs to control the DataCenters that run the operations that citizens rely on.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ColdWetDog ( 752185 )

      I worry about government use of modified public cloud services. We should ban government from using pure cloud solutions because the companies can hold the government hostage with the "big off switch". The gov needs to control the DataCenters that run the operations that citizens rely on.

      And so we should continue to host internally on IIS servers using Access and Visual Basic front ends?

      Next, you'll be advocating we keep COBOL.

      Or Lotus Notes.

      • Re: Please don't move to public cloud. (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Get real. I mean modernize but keep control. For os and database systems we have enough good people in government to form a Linux distribution and an open source database platform and come up with a total open fips compliant workflow that can run anywhere there's a hyypvisor.

        Then throw a team at forking open stack as the base and adding all the things gov needs, then have darpa build a standardized hardware platform and then manufacture the damn things by the container full.

        • Re: Please don't move to public cloud. (Score:5, Interesting)

          by networkBoy ( 774728 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @01:46PM (#54334875) Journal

          Um...
          I believe the NSA is rather good at this. (I'm being serious)
          Maybe they can redeem themselves and put some of that internal cloud capability they have up for general government usage?
          They have the following skills/assets already in-house:
          * Security
          * Archiving
          * Indexing
          * Infrastructure
          * Scalability
          * Tons of other crap.

          I'll give bonus points for re-using the existing equipment and drop table-ing the meta data they have on US citizens.

          • They have the following skills/assets already in-house:
            * Security

            Are you kidding? They couldn't prevent one of their sysadmin contractors from walking out with all of their sensitive info:
            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by TexNex ( 513254 )

            Between NIST & NSA published standards (available on both web sites, more with gov/mil access) every MS product and many of the *NIX flavors have been secured (for the most part). The problem is the bureaucracy -- the documentation, paperwork, politics, more paperwork, studies, dick sucking, etc... required to get an agency (hell, a sub-department) to change anything is so mind numbing it is just not worth the effort for the most part. If you climb the ladder high enough to actually be able to change s

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Q-Hack! ( 37846 ) *

        Well, much of our nuclear systems are still using PDP-11s

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zlives ( 2009072 )

        are those the only 2 options? you argue bigly!!!

    • This is less of a concern. The cloud infrastructure used by the gov is for the most part, a completely separate infrastructure from the regular cloud setup the rest of us use. They have already gone through the FISMA compliance process, and their are agreements in place to try to mitigate your concerns.

      As for being held hostage, well that happens in gov owned and operated datacenters too. Most government entities use contractors still to manage or build/maintain applications. I can say from personal exp

    • If you read Trump's order, what it says is:

      The new tech group will give it the most serious and urgent consideration, and insist on a thorough and rigorous examination of all the proposals, allied to a detailed feasibility study and budget analysis before producing a consultative document for consideration by all interested bodies and seeking comments and recommendations to be included in a brief for a series of working parties who will produce individual studies which will provide the background for a more wide-ranging document considering whether or not the proposal should be taken forward to the next stage.

      Just like every other time this has been proposed, except this time with Trump running things it'll be even more dysfunctional.

  • Let the filling of the Feeding Trough begin (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gtall ( 79522 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @12:47PM (#54334267)

    Said the CEO of Oracle: what ya need there is a collection of giant databases...and cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of Microsoft: what ya need there is a PC or MS compatible computing thing on every desk...and cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of Apple: what ya need there is a collection of iThings for instant communication...errr..with the cloud, let there be cloud
    Said the CEO of IBM: what ya need there is a Watson AI Cloudy Thingy in every agency...more cloud for every one
    etc.
    etc.
    etc.

    • So it just could be that Trump has cloudy judgement.

    • Said the CEO of Oracle: what ya need there is a collection of giant databases...
      Said the CEO of Microsoft: what ya need there is a PC or MS compatible computing thing on every desk...
      Said the CEO of Apple: what ya need there is a collection of iThings for instant communication...
      Said the CEO of IBM: what ya need there is a Watson AI Cloudy Thingy in every agency...
      etc...

      That's what happens when you get a bunch of blind men and an elephant. [wikipedia.org]

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by bobbied ( 2522392 )

      Said the CEO of Oracle: what ya need there is a collection of giant databases...and cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of Microsoft: what ya need there is a PC or MS compatible computing thing on every desk...and cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of Apple: what ya need there is a collection of iThings for instant communication...errr..with the cloud, let there be cloud Said the CEO of IBM: what ya need there is a Watson AI Cloudy Thingy in every agency...more cloud for every one etc. etc. etc.

      Hey, to be fair here, that Obama Care website filled up a bunch of pigs too, much like the stimulus plan of 2008 that Sherriff Joe was supposed to keep track of every dollar.....

      • ... much like the stimulus plan of 2008 that Sherriff Joe was supposed to keep track of every dollar.....

        The stimulus plan was mostly targeted tax breaks, except for direct bailouts that were given to auto companies and a few major banks (those who had been pressured by the Bush administration to buy toxic assets, thereby jeopardizing their own solvency). Of that latter, every single penny was paid back to the US taxpayer, with interest, and actually made a tidy profit.

        So if you're trying to compare "that Obama Care website" (there were actually dozens, and still are) to the 2008 stimulus plan, you're saying

        • Comon... Really you don't see how these things where the products of intense lobbying efforts and designed to line specific pockets? Are you blind or is there lots of sand between your eyes and daylight?

          In the spirit of bipartisanship, can we not agree that BOTH sides engage in this mutual back scratching behavior to varying degrees? I won't quibble about which side is worse at such behavior as long as you admit it's happening no matter who's in power...

    • Right idea... wrong company... (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Oracle and Apple aren't even in the top 100 technology contractors [washingtontechnology.com]. IBM and Microsoft are dwarfed by companies a lot of people have never even heard of, CSRA, CACI, SAIC, Harris, etc. Public sector contracting is it's own unique beast and succeeding in Federal contracting requires a unique combination of political prowess and tolerance for bureaucracy and, at times, sheer stupidity that many companies just won't tolerate... or even understand.

      These companies are masters at gaming the system and competing

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zlives ( 2009072 )

        Eisenhower was speaking from experience after helping create the actual complex. In today's politics, the less experience the better...

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by k6mfw ( 1182893 )
        Also a lot of these companies and the people that work for them always chanting "Hoo rah for private enterprise! Down with gubmint socialism!" But yet they have just one customer: The Government.

    • If he listens to any of those particular assholes, I hope it's IBM and not any of the other BMs on your list. At least they might deliver working solutions.

  • Coincidence? Probably not. (Score:5, Funny)

    by OmniGeek ( 72743 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @12:48PM (#54334289)

    The story immediately preceding this one is titled "There's No Good Way To Kill a Bad Idea." I see a theme emerging here, and feel like running for cover. Very fast.

    • Well it obviously worked so well when Obama did it that we need to do it again.

      Frankly this just sounds more like both political parties have figured out how to get silicon valley onboard to justify taking their lobbying dollars.

      • Why is everybody's response to a perceived Trump criticism: "something something OBAMA something something!"? It's silly. OmniGeek never said Obama would have done it better. Frankly, I'm not sure OmniGeek even has a problem with Trump's proposal, he just found the juxtaposition humorous.

        For the record, I also had the same problem with criticisms of Obama being met with "At least he's not Bush!" That's just lazy rhetoric.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by OmniGeek ( 72743 )

          To be clear, most "transform" or "modernize" efforts, regardless of the political faction that launched them, and regardless of their innate merit, seem to run aground somewhere around halfway through when they start impinging on the interests of powerful political or institutional constituencies. Those that get through to the point of concrete proposals or final reports tend to be sent off to die of neglect in a legislative subcommittee.

          In the case of Trump's proposals, I think this will be a good thing, a

          • I can't decide if he's a bull in a china shop, unwittingly making a mess of things, or the kids in that short story, The Destructors.

  • We need to build a yuge fire (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Wall

  • A "royal" regime (Score:5, Insightful)

    by evolutionary ( 933064 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @12:57PM (#54334385)
    Trump's idea of a "modern government" is medieval: put all your family and friends into key positions as much as possible and hope you can run it like a monarchy. problem is the family has no real qualifications in national or international politics. So this will be fun, fun, fun.

    • Re:A "royal" regime (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 01, 2017 @01:12PM (#54334523)

      Some of Trump's other ways to "modernize" government, based on recent statements and actions:

      1. Libel laws should be adjusted making it illegal to mock or contradict the US President.

      2. Laws on disclosure, conflicts of interest, or dealings with foreign powers should be repealed.

      3. Any news organization determined to be promulgating Fake News as determined by the Chief Executive or the Ministry of Truth should be shut down. In the spirit of item #1, this includes annoying venues such as the Onion or Saturday Night Live.

      4. Any scientifically-measured data that does not uphold the statements of the President or his duly appointed relatives/cronies should be tagged as Fake News and treated as outlined in item #3.

      5. Any laws of nature deemed inconvenient to the President or his duly appointed relatives/cronies should be summarily repealed.

      • He really would like to be a dictator I think. He admires Putin, embraced China, embraced Turkey's update to a dictatorship, just invited the guy from the philipines, just complained that those archaic rules in the senate(those rules that let opposing voices stop a dictator) were stopping progress, hates the press for their constantly going off topic... The guy is used to running a corp with one shareholder, he ran a small dictatorship, found it efficient (and dictatorships are efficient) and would like to

        • To be fair, Trump dictatorships were not that effective. His businesses were mostly lacklustre at best or bankrupt at worse. He may owe 300 mil (possibly to a russian bank by proxy). Trump university was hoot (total scam). And his buildings are not exactly great quality when they are built (a few problems with falling glass panels in Toronto, Canada as I recall. I'm not sure he "embraced "China either. Remember, he was telling President Xi Jinping that he wouldn't recognize the "One China" policy. A few day

      • And then follow up with a feel-good "Two Minutes of Hate".

  • It's like . . . (Score:5, Funny)

    by DickBreath ( 207180 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @12:58PM (#54334395) Homepage
    It is as if millions of COBOL programmers suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
    • You mean laughing out loud....it ain't never going to happen. Just look at the armed forces.
      • In another topic on Slashdot this morning I wrote:

        As part of my retirement plan, I will seriously brush up on COBOL in the year 9995. In about the year 9997 everyone will start getting worried about the Y10K problem. People will think Y10K will be the end of civilization as we switch over to five digit years. There will be lots of COBOL work available.
  • Silicon Valley , osftware version, is more about hype and less about production.

  • Start with the EPA! (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by mspohr ( 589790 )

    We don't need no stinking EPA website. It just confuses people. Too much information.
    Let's simplify government!
    https://www.washingtonpost.com... [washingtonpost.com]

  • First read that "transform and monetize", maybe that's how the tax cuts get balanced and they'll get a healthcare reform agreement. Make America Freemium Again

  • It should be easy (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rastl ( 955935 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @01:21PM (#54334623) Journal

    Just like fixing healthcare and the tax code revising the entire IT infrastructure for the federal government should be easy right?

  • I'll just go dust off my Windows 2000 Server book and send them my resume.

  • "Transforming" the government is something a bunch of Silicon Valley executives could no doubt accomplish. The problem is that "transformed" isn't necessary "better".

    Facebook has transformed peoples' lives, to the point it's regarded indispensable for many. It hasn't really made their lives better.

    "Transformation" is a goal without a point of view; and blank screen on which anyone is free to imagine whatever colors he likes. Not like "cheaper". Cheaper is quite concrete. "More responsive" would be hard

  • The Cyber (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Arkham ( 10779 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @02:23PM (#54335309)
    And I quote:

    So we have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare. It is a, it is a huge problem. I have a son.

    He's 10 years old. He has computers. He is so good with these computers, it's unbelievable. The security aspect of cyber is very, very tough. And maybe it's hardly do-able. But I will say, we are not doing the job we should be doing, but that's true throughout our whole governmental society.

    What a fucking moron.

    • Hey, don't bash him too hard! He obviously knows the cyber and cyber warfare huge, hugely even. He is stating a fact, it is tough to secure cyber! And lastly, he takes the blame, "WE are not doing the job WE should be doing".... ;-) If he could cyber good like the good cyber people do, we would do better cyber!

      Another thing, "He's 10 years old. He has computers. He is so good with these computers, it's unbelievable." -
      I can't count how many times I've heard parents dote on their kids on how great the

  • Misread that (Score:5, Insightful)

    by AdamThor ( 995520 ) on Monday May 01, 2017 @02:34PM (#54335447)

    Uh, "Transform and Modernize", or "Transfer and Monetize"?

  • To modernize Federal IT, one must first find money to modernize Federal IT, then one must make broad, sweeping changes to Federal procurement rules.

    I don't see either of those happening. If they do, I don't see the second ending at all well.

  • Trump will modernize government the same way his sons have modernized African wildlife.

  • That should have been a comment to https://slashdot.org/story/17/... [slashdot.org]

  • You don't get actual solutions by relying on "experts" that want to sell you something. Especially billions of dollars of something. You hire experts to assess the solutions put forward by vendors.
  • Did anything good come out of the committee organized by Obama? or Bush? or Clinton?
  • And modernize the ignorance! Cool initiative, indeed.

  • Congress has to fund it.

    The president has to ACTUALLY staff it. Mr. Trump still has THOUSANDS of jobs STILL unstaffed. He can't implement policy. It's like walmart can't restock produce shelves because they cut staffing levels too low.

    It's like Mr. Trump is talking to empty chairs (sort of like Clint Eastwood), giving them orders, smiling and looking proud. But empty chairs can't implement his policies.

    His incompetence is the only thing making his presidency remotely bearable.

  • If POTUS were to set up such a group within the government, the Democrats would be able to forum-shop for some municipal night court judge to kill it in its crib.

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