A report from the New York Times once again highlights the lack of adaptation to the modern day world. The article notes that a federal agency in the United States today still uses groundbreaking technology of the 1980s and early 1990s: floppy disks, 3.5-inch plastic storage squares.
That’s right. The Federal Register, a government agency that is in charge of publishing a daily journal of the U.S. government, such as posting proclamations, executive orders, notices, proposed rule changes and many other government duties, still uses floppy disks.
Floppy disks have become obsolete in much of the developed world. Most computer users utilize the power of flash disks and cloud storage. Also, it would be quite rare for today’s average teenager to even know what a floppy disk is. CD-Roms are also beginning to become obscure.
Heads of certain departments blame the paucity of modernization on budget cuts. “We’ve got to accommodate the funding and everything else,” said Jim Bradley, the assistant public printer for the Government Printing Office, in an interview with the news outlet. “Some agencies move forward with technology, and that’s great. Other agencies aren’t ready to go this year, maybe not next year.”
Interesting. A federal government with a near $4 trillion budget can’t use cloud storage rather than technology out of an early 1990s spy film? No wonder why the Obamacare website was a failure; the designers probably used Visual Basic.
Kim Jong-un would be proud.
What a load – a computer costs all of $300. New computers aren’t needed because it’s blatantly obvious that “employees” don’t use them. I work in the private sector – if I need a better machine and it’s not provided by the company – I buy one.