22 July 2024

When I was studying First Year mathematics at St. Andrews, we were given ten lectures on computing. In those days the computers filled the room. Programmes had to be written out in a computer language like Fortran. They were punched out onto cards. If you made the least little error,  you had to start again.

We were not allowed anywhere near the computer. A programmer took our programme and ran it through the machine. This together with the precision required to get everything exactly right meant that I lost interest in the process after I understood what was required to work it!

This all came back when we experienced the recent IT Outage. It wasn’t caused by malice but by a mistake. It was a very small mistake in a software update with a single error in its code. This single error caused so much chaos and meant that I couldn’t order my repeat prescription online!

When this was introduced by my practice, I thought it a great idea. Now I am not so sure. It is not just this recent outage but the multiplicity of protectors needed before I can make my request. I need to submit my e-mail address and my password. Then I am sent a verification number on my phone which I have to programme in.

And now, there is a fourth initiative which I will eventually have to take on board to make my request secure! I am not impressed with these  four  security hurdles. It makes me long for the former system which was much more human.

I notice that the receptionist has vanished from the hospital entrance. We now sign in via the computer. There is no human welcome to reassure us just another machine. When will the next update bring the system down and how many security codes will we require to access the system. It’s four today, maybe forty within the decade?

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