[m a d r a]

from BBC website:

Benefits computer failure chaos

A massive computer failure at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may affect new and altered benefits claims, the government has confirmed.

More than three-quarters of its staff could not access payment processing systems on Monday after an update to desk top computers went wrong.

"Some customers may find delays, and I certainly apologise about that," said Alexis Cleveland of the DWP.

Its says 95% of the problems are fixed and existing claims were unaffected.

About 80% of the DWP's network crashed on Monday and technical experts from Microsoft and the computer firm EDS have been working around the clock to find the fault.

BBC radio news has just referred to it as "the biggest computer crash in government history"

now folks. guess what operating system all these computers were running, that brought down the biggest department in the UK government with a simple OS upgrade?

1. linux
2. mac OSX
3. windoze XP

tricky one, isn't it?

[Diggory Laycock]

cocking EDS.

This country always gives them contracts and they always screw them up - and go WAY over budget.

[m a d r a]

re EDS:

yes. that lot must either know someone in high places or have some really incriminating photographs featuring government ministers, dating back to the thatcher era because, for as long as i can remember they've been getting huge government contracts and completely fecking them up - only to be awarded the next contract that comes along!

did someone say "jobs for the boys"...?

[Diggory Laycock]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11...etwork_outage/

It seems that they patched Win2k systems with an XP patch.

How is that possible?