The world, according to Thomas Friedman, has been made flat by high-speed computer and Internet technologies, but there are still some mountains or mole hills, depending upon your perspective, when it comes to the North Dakota Legislature.

Lawmakers spent about $3 million on software that was to be ready for the 2009 Legislative session - software for lawmakers and citizens to keep track of bills, hearings and votes. It didn't happen. The state's Legislature was forced to continue to use 30-year-old software during the 2009 session.

PTC Corp. of Needham, Mass., had the software writing job. The firm bailed out last fall with a vague excuse about a "contentious work environment." Hadn't they been exposed to North Dakota nice?

Lawmakers, during the recent session, decided to give creating a new software system for the Legislature another go.

This time they have signed a contract for $3.24 million with Ireland-based Propylon Inc. The company developed management software for legislatures in Pennsylvania, Oregon and Kansas. The company should already understand the potential frustration of working for a committee.

Propylon's deadline is Nov. 30, 2010, in advance of the 2011 Legislative session.

As the contract was signed with Propylon, Sen. Larry Robinson, D-Valley City, said something telling about the whole process. He was quoted by the Associated Press saying, "We're going to stay a lot closer to it than we did previously."

It there was a good time to make a $3 million mistake, 2009 was the year. The state had a huge budget surplus, more than a billion dollars. If money would have been tight instead, the result would have been very painful for state employees, the people of North Dakota and state lawmakers.

Having easy computer access to bills, hearings and votes make the legislative process more democratic. It allows citizens to closely monitor issues near and dear to them.

By providing a great depth of legislative information in real time, lawmakers are removing a barrier to public understanding of legislative processes and issues, and that's a good thing.

Hopefully lawmakers will keep a closer eye on the software development process, holding Propylon accountable for deadlines and work performance. No one wants a repeat performance of the pre-2009 software experience. Certainly, taxpayers don't want to see another $3 million wasted, nor do lawmakers.

As for that "contentious work envirnoment," it's hard to know what to think. Whatever went on, it can't be repeated.