omnivore's comments

On: GSA Eliminates 18F

[omnivore]

This thing was always underutilized even by the last 2 administrations. For all of the purported DOGE savings, these folks actually legitimately saved money from agencies, which is why big contractor shops were so opposed. They didn't take Congressional appropriations and charged agencies for work, but couldn't just go to agencies and pitch business, they had to be reached out to.

Can't imagine how much better the thing had been if it'd been allowed to fully blossom, but given all the stuff they deal with it, it wasn't perfect but it was a really good experiment.

[cushychicken → omnivore]

Why couldn’t they go out and pitch their services to agencies?

On: Starlink to take over $2.4B contract to overhaul air traffic control comms

[omnivore]

even conceding that, letting one guy decide it using executive power is problematic. And illegal

On: Starlink to take over $2.4B contract to overhaul air traffic control comms

[omnivore]

Procurement rules exist for a reason, letting one guy funnel business to his company using the President's power is a huge risk to the nation-state.

[rbanffy → omnivore]

Imagine if he decides to disconnect all in-flight airliners just because he’s high?

On: Starlink to take over $2.4B contract to overhaul air traffic control comms

[omnivore]

It's illegal and unfair competition. We can't just throw out laws we hate all the time on the whims on an unelected guy in the White House.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

haa, an insepector general looking at this stuff is quaint in the era of let's just break all the rules.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

Not young people at all, actually. Mostly mid-to-senior people.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

"losing money" is a canard when it's a self-producing government entity that was using not public dollars but instead user fees from a GSA Fund. There were lots of folks who had incentive for that thing not to work: https://insider.govtech.com/california/www-techwire-net/form...

Also, that IG report is a comedy show compared to the last 3 weeks of chaos from these people doing what they're doing flouting laws, rules and the common order.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

there are lots of them already, but many more that need them.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

In reality, they were embedded with federal agencies and worked on engagements for them. You gotta read what people actually do in practice, versus just the pitch.

[chatmasta → omnivore]

You’ve literally described DOGE. It uses this exact structure.

On: Moving on from 18F

[omnivore]

The model of 18F changed a lot, none of those products including Login.gov or Cloud.gov were part of 18F, they're all spinfoffs that live within TTS.