RogerS
Established Member
Couple of things.
First - the Orange email was human error, almost certainly. Mistakes happen. It's the way that they are handled that matters. Orange took over a week to bother to apologise.
Second - my reference to the two instances - inconsistent naming and simply adding a sentence to explain what was going to happen when signing up for the card protection scheme. Neither involve any IT system...just someone actually thinking about how things might actually work in reality.
DustyDave - it gets even worse. Take Chip'n'PIN. Fundamentally flawed as proved by Professor Ross Anderson. His latest revelation really highlights how rubbish systems are and to say cost-benefit-analysis is to bury your head in the sand.
The flaw is that when you put a card into a terminal, a negotiation takes place about how the cardholder should be authenticated: using a PIN, using a signature or not at all. This particular subprotocol is not authenticated, so you can trick the card into thinking it’s doing a chip-and-signature transaction while the terminal thinks it’s chip-and-PIN. The upshot is that you can buy stuff using a stolen card and a PIN of 0000 (or anything you want).
The problem as I see it, especially in finance, is that marketing are constantly dreaming up new products and services to try and get one-over on the competition but there aren't enough resources or time to develop the system properly. SWMBO and me spend at least a couple of hours every other month sorting out financial service cock-ups made by the banks etc on our accounts, mortgages etc.
The Govt isn't much better either. They come up with knee-jerk reactions half-baked schemes and expect the systems to be developed in unrealistic timescales. Then, when things look as if they are settling down, they (the Govt) go and move the goalposts.
The NHS IT system is a classic on how not to do things. Pratface Bliar called in a team of industry specialists and outlined his vision. 'How long'? he asked. 'About five years' they replied. 'Too long' said pratface and so he went and found a tame poodle who jumped up and down panting his little socks off saying 'I can do it. I can do it'. The rest is, as they say, history.
It is a societal thing and to a certain extent we are all as guilty. For example, we are so used to ordering something on the net and getting it tomorrow. Ten years ago that was unheard of. But, if a delivery goes pear-shaped, then we get all hot and bothered (I know I do). When is it going to stop? This Gaderene rush to oblivion. Too many demons.
First - the Orange email was human error, almost certainly. Mistakes happen. It's the way that they are handled that matters. Orange took over a week to bother to apologise.
Second - my reference to the two instances - inconsistent naming and simply adding a sentence to explain what was going to happen when signing up for the card protection scheme. Neither involve any IT system...just someone actually thinking about how things might actually work in reality.
DustyDave - it gets even worse. Take Chip'n'PIN. Fundamentally flawed as proved by Professor Ross Anderson. His latest revelation really highlights how rubbish systems are and to say cost-benefit-analysis is to bury your head in the sand.
The flaw is that when you put a card into a terminal, a negotiation takes place about how the cardholder should be authenticated: using a PIN, using a signature or not at all. This particular subprotocol is not authenticated, so you can trick the card into thinking it’s doing a chip-and-signature transaction while the terminal thinks it’s chip-and-PIN. The upshot is that you can buy stuff using a stolen card and a PIN of 0000 (or anything you want).
The problem as I see it, especially in finance, is that marketing are constantly dreaming up new products and services to try and get one-over on the competition but there aren't enough resources or time to develop the system properly. SWMBO and me spend at least a couple of hours every other month sorting out financial service cock-ups made by the banks etc on our accounts, mortgages etc.
The Govt isn't much better either. They come up with knee-jerk reactions half-baked schemes and expect the systems to be developed in unrealistic timescales. Then, when things look as if they are settling down, they (the Govt) go and move the goalposts.
The NHS IT system is a classic on how not to do things. Pratface Bliar called in a team of industry specialists and outlined his vision. 'How long'? he asked. 'About five years' they replied. 'Too long' said pratface and so he went and found a tame poodle who jumped up and down panting his little socks off saying 'I can do it. I can do it'. The rest is, as they say, history.
It is a societal thing and to a certain extent we are all as guilty. For example, we are so used to ordering something on the net and getting it tomorrow. Ten years ago that was unheard of. But, if a delivery goes pear-shaped, then we get all hot and bothered (I know I do). When is it going to stop? This Gaderene rush to oblivion. Too many demons.
