OFF TOPIC: Famous failed IT projects

16 Jan 2006 8:48 AM

Pieter

Hi,

I know this is off topic, but I didn't find another newsgroup that would
suit with my question. My apologizes.

I once had a list with famous failed IT projects, but I can't find it
anymore on the Internet. Does anybody has such a list/ link/... I prefer
with a little explanation of what went wrong.

Any help woudl be really appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance,

Pieter

16 Jan 2006 4:02 PM

Brad Wood

Here's an interesting article I recently read (should be worth
registering to get the full article):
http://www.sdmagazine.com/documents/s=9889/sdm0510a/0510a.html

Here's a list of some very notorious bugs:
http://infotech.fanshawec.on.ca/gsantor/Computing/FamousBugs.htm

Here's a recent example I'm somewhat familiar with:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/13/fbi.software/

Lastly, there's netscape. It will probably be somewhat difficult to
find a single description of why netscape faded away, but it may prove
worthwhile (I've heard they had too bloated a team and spent too long
trying to make it darn near perfect before it caved in on itself).

17 Jan 2006 8:41 AM

Pieter

Thanks a lot! really helpfull!

Show quoteHide quote

"Brad Wood" <bradley|.wood|@ndsu|.edu> wrote in message
news:eA7v3YrGGHA.1452@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Here's an interesting article I recently read (should be worth registering
> to get the full article):
> http://www.sdmagazine.com/documents/s=9889/sdm0510a/0510a.html
>
> Here's a list of some very notorious bugs:
> http://infotech.fanshawec.on.ca/gsantor/Computing/FamousBugs.htm
>
> Here's a recent example I'm somewhat familiar with:
> http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/13/fbi.software/
>
> Lastly, there's netscape. It will probably be somewhat difficult to find
> a single description of why netscape faded away, but it may prove
> worthwhile (I've heard they had too bloated a team and spent too long
> trying to make it darn near perfect before it caved in on itself).

17 Jan 2006 6:47 PM

Homer J Simpson

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"Pieter" <pietercou***@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OBGSeH0GGHA.740@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> "Brad Wood" <bradley|.wood|@ndsu|.edu> wrote in message
> news:eA7v3YrGGHA.1452@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> Here's an interesting article I recently read (should be worth
>> registering to get the full article):
>> http://www.sdmagazine.com/documents/s=9889/sdm0510a/0510a.html
>>
>> Here's a list of some very notorious bugs:
>> http://infotech.fanshawec.on.ca/gsantor/Computing/FamousBugs.htm
>>
>> Here's a recent example I'm somewhat familiar with:
>> http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/13/fbi.software/
>>
>> Lastly, there's netscape. It will probably be somewhat difficult to find
>> a single description of why netscape faded away, but it may prove
>> worthwhile (I've heard they had too bloated a team and spent too long
>> trying to make it darn near perfect before it caved in on itself).
> Thanks a lot! really helpful!

The only source for these is my memory and conversations with friends,
however IIRC:-

The Washington state ferry system built two computer systems, both of which
failed

New Zealand purchased two separate but related computer systems from IBM for
the police, both of which failed

British Columbia's worker injury insurance system built a system which
failed (they later built one that worked)

British Columbia's auto insurance system built a system which partly
worked.

There are not a lot of records of failure out there, are there?

"Success has many fathers. Failure is a lonely orphan".