# Orca: How to kill your own killer app **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570 "2012-11-10T13:09:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/1 "2012-11-10T13:09:13Z")
I was amazed at the technological incompetence shown in this story: > **[Inside Team Romney's whale of an IT meltdown](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/11/inside-team-romneys-whale-of-an-it-meltdown/)** > > Orca, the Romney campaign's "killer" app, skips beta and pays the price. Politics aside, this was just a terrible way to implement a program, let alone one as critical as Orca. There are dozens of stupid decisions, like lack of training, not letting users test before the implementation, screwing up passwords, and not even doing a simple redirect for people who enter “http” instead of “https.” ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/2 "2012-11-10T14:02:54Z")
(I think you should ask for a thread title change to something a little more descriptive.) Very interesting and somewhat hilarious article. It’s also worth reading [the link contained in the article](http://ace.mu.nu/archives/334783.php) that’s straight from a Romney-volunteer’s POV. (The picture of the poll-watchers’ checklist including the “bring a chair” twice, yet neglecting to mention “bring credentials” made me LOL!) I find it amusing how Mitt always boasted about how, since he was a businessman, he was more qualified to run the country. Meanwhile, he apparently wasn’t even qualified to run his own campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/3 "2012-11-10T14:22:25Z")
[The Romney Campaign Was A Consultant Con Job](http://www.redstate.com/2012/11/09/campaign-sources-the-romney-campaign-was-a-consultant-con-job/) > [@](#): > > They say that the truth is the consultants essentially used the Romney campaign as a money making scheme, forcing employees to spin false data as truth in order to paint a rosy picture of a successful campaign as a form of job security. > > Zac Moffatt, Digital Director for the Romney campaign, was specifically named as having “built a nest egg for himself and co-founder of Targeted Victory, Mike Beach,” and that they “didn’t get social” media and ignored objections from other consultants and staffers in the campaign. > > \ > > The result of all of these false numbers and inaccurate ground reports is simple: Mitt Romney had no idea what was coming on election day and his false sense of confidence directly translated into how the campaign operated in the closing weeks. In the words of one source, it was a con job. As David Mamet famously said, “If you’re in the con game and you don’t know who the mark is … you’re the mark.” Mitt Romney had no idea what was coming. So where’s the problem? The makers of the app created a product, made gobs of money off of it, and screwed the consumer. Isn’t that pretty much the way Bain works? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/4 "2012-11-10T14:48:07Z")
The comments in response to that Red State piece reveal some seriously distorted thinking. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/5 "2012-11-10T14:51:41Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The comments in response to that Red State piece reveal some seriously distorted thinking. Never read the comments. Comments are the mind-killer. Comments are the little death that brings obliteration. Just say no to comments. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/6 "2012-11-10T14:58:23Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The comments in response to that Red State piece reveal some seriously distorted thinking. OK, I had a quick look. I’ll note this one: > [@WarEagle01](#): > > I donated to the Romney campaign. Not much, but it was what I could afford. I think it came out to about $300. That’s grocery money to feed my family. That’s gas money to get my kids to school and for me to get to work. And this is how it was spent? To line the pockets of wealthy charlatans? Words can’t describe how angry this makes me. The whole _point_ of electing Romney was to make sure ‘wealthy charlatans’ can line their pockets! Why is this guy upset? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/7 "2012-11-10T15:05:43Z")
I like this one: > [@](#): > > Please remember - software programs are mostly written in California by liberals who then get venture capitalists to help them become billion dollar companies on the NYSE. > > I’m curious now as to who WROTE the code for ORCA? What were their political affiliations? Just wunderin’… Someone else blamed outsourcing to India. Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/8 "2012-11-10T15:07:37Z")
These are the same people that keep telling us that the private sector does everything better and more efficiently than government, right? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/9 "2012-11-10T15:15:39Z")
It looks like the software was perfectly able to do what it was designed to do. It was the implementation that was a clusterfuck. I’ve had to implement software, and if it had been done so poorly, I’d be out of a job. What sort of web designer forgets to direct “http” to “https” automatically? Why wasn’t there a test server for users to try several weeks before the election? Why didn’t they tell their ISP to expect heavy usage? This isn’t a political failure; it’s incompetent IT management. I suspect the people at the campaign didn’t listen to IT (a common issue in many organizations). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/10 "2012-11-11T14:42:01Z")
Here’s the counter-point: > **[Inside the Secret World of the Data Crunchers Who Helped Obama Win | TIME.com](https://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/inside-the-secret-world-of-quants-and-data-crunchers-who-helped-obama-win/)** > > Data-driven decisionmaking played a huge role in creating a second term for the 44th President and will be one of the more closely studied elements of the 2012 cycle ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/11 "2012-11-11T15:54:36Z")
One interesting point from the Time article on the Obama campaign - they began working on their database 18 months ago. That’s a tremendous advantage for an incumbent seeking re-election, over the guy who’s fighting for the nomination until six months before election day. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/12 "2012-11-11T16:23:08Z")
Note that while there is a some anecdotal stuff about Orca being bad, there are also [stories](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/09/romney-campaign-orca-wasnt-a-loss/) out there that said it “mostly” worked. Not great, but good enough. There is a _lot_ of spin going on about why Romney lost. A lot. Demographics, tech, money (which is a really hilarious claim), bad polling, etc. But it is all spin. It was about issues. People are in serious denial about this. If you have mainstream stances on issues, then demographics don’t matter. This “blame Orca” stuff is just a distraction. Forget about it. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/13 "2012-11-11T16:26:08Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The comments in response to that Red State piece reveal some seriously distorted thinking. Distorted, sir? I defy you to find a hole in this logic, quoted from a much longer comment: "4. In 2012, Mitt Romney was surging in the polls a week before the election. Then came the hurricane Sandy. Thereafter he lost the election. 1. No prior hurricane has devastated all major battleground states to this degree. Was this the long awaited Was this the long awaited October surprise? 2. Human beings have the ability to manipulate weather patterns. Bush 43 set up project HAARP to generate sand storms in Iraq. Obama has expanded it" ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/14 "2012-11-11T16:37:46Z")
God sent Hurricane Isaac to disrupt the Republican convention. God sent Hurricane Sandy to disrupt the Romney campaign and to show Obama acting presidential. Clearly, God is for Obama and is punishing the Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/15 "2012-11-12T06:28:48Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > 1. Human beings have the ability to manipulate weather patterns. Bush 43 > set up project HAARP to generate sand storms in Iraq. Obama has expanded > it" It was probably the Russians and not Obama. Putin is already a James Bond villain- why not give him the ability to control the weather? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/16 "2012-11-12T07:16:17Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > One interesting point from the Time article on the Obama campaign - they began working on their database 18 months ago. That’s a tremendous advantage for an incumbent seeking re-election, over the guy who’s fighting for the nomination until six months before election day. Romney’s been running for President just as long as Obama has. I refer, of course, to 2007, when both men began seeking the nomination for their party’s candidacy. Seriously, Romney’s had plenty of time to figure this out. I’ve got no sympathy for him on those grounds. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/17 "2012-11-12T07:25:01Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Romney’s been running for President just as long as Obama has. I refer, of course, to 2007, when both men began seeking the nomination for their party’s candidacy. Seriously, Romney’s had plenty of time to figure this out. I’ve got no sympathy for him on those grounds. Plus this would have been helpful to him in the primaries. It’s not like he couldn’t afford it - except that he learned his lesson from Bain to never use his own money. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/18 "2012-11-12T07:26:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The whole _point_ of electing Romney was to make sure ‘wealthy charlatans’ can line their pockets! Why is this guy upset? Come now. The rich chumps got taken by Rove. The poor chumps got taken by the GOP. It is equal opportunity for chumps in the Romney campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/19 "2012-11-12T07:33:30Z")
I think the main problem with the App was a lack of testing. I have heard\* that the software developers were at the point of Beta testing ORCA six weeks ago, when they received a frantic message from Paul Ryan who denounced testing as being dangerously close to Science and hence Atheism. [sub]\*the voices in my head were pretty convincing at any rate[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570/20 "2012-11-12T08:56:46Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It looks like the software was perfectly able to do what it was designed to do. It was the implementation that was a clusterfuck. I’ve had to implement software, and if it had been done so poorly, I’d be out of a job. > > What sort of web designer forgets to direct “http” to “https” automatically? Why wasn’t there a test server for users to try several weeks before the election? Why didn’t they tell their ISP to expect heavy usage? > > This isn’t a political failure; it’s incompetent IT management. I suspect the people at the campaign didn’t listen to IT (a common issue in many organizations). As someone pointed out in the comments section of some other article I read, this would have been the perfect time to use cloud-based servers, as they can expand and contract bandwidth as it’s needed. That way you don’t have to make sure your server software scales. It’s perfect for a short term burst in activity, which is what they clearly should have been expecting. Because it couldn’t scale, ORCA actually shut down. Plus, let’s not forget that people who were supposed to use ORCA didn’t get their badges they needed to get in, (as the documentation had a mistake that didn’t tell them they needed one) and didn’t get in. Imagine if ORCA was running at full capacity. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orca-how-to-kill-your-own-killer-app/640570.md?page=2)