OK, no problem.   Thought threads might fit Mudcat a bit better.

But "shreds and patches" is dead on to describe the federal computer system.   Even better, in fact.

I was truly amazed to find that literally every weekend there were desperate patches applied--(contractors must have worked every weekend)--and still there were constant dire warnings of problems.

Got the distinct impression that trying to keep Macroslop computers running was the little boy putting his thumb in the dike.