Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

One of the best initiatives of the US Government was the mandate to go 
"paperless" in 2000. It's not rippled down yet but let me tell you it 
has made a huge difference. Prior to 2000 take for example a computer 
system sold the the Air Force. The paper delivered weighed as much as 
the hardware. There were all the design specs. There was the maintenance 
manuals, hardware and software (could be a thousand pages each). There 
was all the drawings, etc. If the same computer went to 10 locations - 
so did all the paper. If a capability was added or a problem fixed, the 
documentation had to reflect that so more paper got generated - usually 
completely new documents with the old ones thrown away.

Today, all the paper sits on a server. If maintenance is required, the 
technicians simply bring up the latest version over a network. If the 
need to print some of it - it is only a few pages. If there is an 
upgrade or a bug fixed - the documentation gets changed in one place and 
your done. Not only has this approach saved tons of paper it has save a 
lot of money since there is a significant cost in producing, maintaining 
and controlling (if the documents they require safe space to be locked 
in, secure rooms to keep the safes, security personnel to log and 
control the documents, etc.) paper documents.

It's also rolled down in much of defense contracting. The Government now 
releases request for proposals electronically, contractors submit 
proposals electronically and contractors and the Government now sign 
contracts digitally, invoices are submitted electronically and payments 
direct deposited. I works one hell of a lot faster, better and without 
paper. I remember in two of us hand carrying a proposal which was two 
large boxes of paper to a Government facility. Those days are long gone 
- thank goodness.

Truman

Sisu West Ranch wrote:
> "...I have a feeling someday we'll wonder why we didn't stick to 
> paper. :...'
>
> Yes, electronics have their own issues. Don't get caught in the faulty 
> logic here. During its useful life, the few pound electronic gadget 
> replaces tons of paper, and recycling of metals has been going on 
> forever (I can barely remember the WWII scrap metal drives, and the 
> Romans did it.). We do need to increase the efficiency of the metal 
> recycling, but that is no reason to stop with electronics.
>
> Ed
> Ed & Wendy Hauser
> 2994 Mittower Road
> Victor, MT 59875
>
> (406) 552-4516
>
> ranch(at)sisuwest(dot)us


--

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a 
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also 
into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil


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