Most National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the Pacific still depend on proprietary “black box” software to generate the climate products their countries rely on. The tools work, but the people using them can’t see inside them, can’t adapt them, and can’t fix them when something breaks. If that one staff member who knows how to run a critical script leaves, the climate product stops being produced.  When this happens, the bulletin does not go out to those who rely on them, and the seasonal outlook doesn’t get updated.