US government dept bans Vista
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has banned its users from installing Microsoft’s new Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Internet Explorer 7 software packages, saying there was no business or technical justification for the upgrades.
“Based on our initial analysis (from internal recommendations and analysis performed by Gartner Group), there appears to be no compelling technical or business case for upgrading to these new Microsoft software products,” the department’s chief information officer Daniel Mintz wrote in a memorandum dated 19 January, 2007.The CIO added there were specific reasons not to upgrade to the new software. These included the cost of the move (including hardware/software costs and labour), as well as compatibility concerns between Office 2007 and previous versions, primarily revolving around Microsoft Word.
Also, Mintz noted available funding was limited, and IT staff had already committed their time to the pending move of DOT’s headquarters to a new building.Mintz will issue a follow-up memorandum within 180 days from 19 January that would articulate his department’s strategic desktop and laptop technology roadmap.
source: zdnet
Comments(25)
Holy shit! Common sense in the US government, I thought that was just a myth.
I was also surprised that The US Government uses common sense. I dont think they used it in Iraq or Afghanistan though! LoL
I for one am getting a little sick of this anti-Vista propoganda. No Operating System is perfect and it comes down to a matter of taste, needs, and affordability.
These anti-Microsoft articles are total propoganda. If I go post articles about the shortcomings of Linux, OS X, BSD, or other operating systems are you going to link to them?
I thought not.
I don’t like Microsoft’s business practices either. I get tired of seeing misleading propoganda though.
Regarding this article… so the DOT decided there is no reason for THEM to use Vista. Who else in the world cares? Is this supposed to imply that Vista sucks because the DOT is some authority who approves whether OS’s are worthy of people to use or not?
There are companies and government agencies that are also migrating to Vista, because it suits THEIR needs.
Their choices aren’t meaningful to ANYONE else.
Quit posting this crap.
HA HA ! LOL IN UR FACE MICROSUCK
Well i think its a matter of time before this specific department (DOT) will get a special discount from Bill
yeah, vista sucks and will continue to suck until a proper one-click-crack is made
This Anti-Vista crap is seriously making me lose respect for this blog. No OS is perfect, and god knows most of you only hate it because you can’t steal it yet.
Sorry to say OSX has FAR FAR FAR more shortcomings than vista/xp, Don’t even get me started on linux, That said. Hating windows doesn’t make you cool, especially knowing that you’ll end up using vista in the end anyway, Why trashtalk it now?
Brilliant
Regardless of what may be thought of as trash talk –
Microsoft makes millions out of people who require a functioning pc for work and for home use.
It needs to be compatable with hardware and other software.
Microsoft by releasing a brand new “have to buy it” OS that any one that doesn’t have it is old fashioned and out of date etc etc.
Nearly everyone who wants to run this needs a new pc….its shown to not operate with some types of hardware and now anyone who writes a program has to figure out how to make it work in “new Vista”
Its a scam by Microsoft – Its all bells and whistles that take huge amounts of memory to look sexy.
An operating system should be just that – have a pc system that operates…Most people don’t need the stuff Vista does or looks like it does and do not want to have to pay through the nose for it.
I would rather use Linux than XP but will use XP rather than Vista until Microcon make it impossible to have a functioning PC without…
How? by not upgrading XP – By making it harder to use a pc by conning people into demanding they use better graphics on websites and games and programs that will eventually mean you will HAVE to buy VISTA and NEW PC.
So sorry if the trash talk of VISTA seems petty – it isnt these guys dont want to have a world where all computers work – they want a world where everyone has to BUY their new product and hardware from their pc mates.
Apple is making much more sense now, and Linux and a bit of paper and a pencil.
Im VERY pleased that someone somewhere in the world has said no to wasting tonnes of cash – ESPECIALLY a government operation that gets its funding from your taxes (not mine im British)
Microsoft thought every biznis in the world would be falling over them selves to get with the program and have the latest thing…They know as shops do even here in my hometown that they THINK they should now sell VISTA pcs or be seen as outdated.
Its all a big con….
Sort XP out – it works why throw it all out….daft.
Upgrade XP with a few little bells and whistles for those that have unlimited cash and have to have the lasted thing regardless of whether its good or not.
Write to these Government guys thanking them for not wasting YOUR TAX money on unneeded upgrades.
I hope Vista falls on its arse like NEW COKE and becomes an embarrassment to Microsoft –
But thats just me and everyone else thats sick of the riches company int he world conning us.
they’re damn right. used vista for 2 months and went right back to windows xp. there really is no need for vista. word 2007 on the other hand, is quite nice
Looks like the Vista fans (Nick and dbcch) are crying, Basem. Try not to upset them further…Then again, who cares! Its only Vista.
Guess what fans! Vista doesn’t meet EVERYONE’s requirements. DOT cited cost and compatibility.
Explain to us, why would you adopt a new solution where it does NOT greatly benefit you based on the amount of money you invest into it?
BTW, the Federal Aviation Administration are considering dumping MS solutions for Google’s online business applications.
=> http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197800480
Intel (the chip maker) isn’t even touching Vista, until after SP1.
=> http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=4597
Hell, the overall adoption of Vista has been quite poor, that Steve Ballmer (MS CEO) has used the excuse of piracy to hide it. In fact, its an excuse for MS to further increase the harshness of WGA!
You can whine of how things are unfair or anti-this and anti-that, but the fact is, in the real world, people and organisations drop Microsoft solution because it simply isn’t value for money or it doesn’t benefit greatly enough for them to do so.
Why should people care?
Because its a clear indication that Microsoft’s recently released solutions are expensive. Their argument about “Total Cost of Ownership” has been effectively blown out of the Window. (pun intended).
Its now a fact that MS solutions cost MORE than others. For the money MS is asking, its simply is NOT worth the upgrade. (Not to mention the necessary hardware upgrades required to get the “full Vista experience”, as well as the required time to test for compatibility).
The majority of computer users out there are mainly with systems that have 256MB to 512MB RAM. They get along fine with what they’ve got. There is simply no need to upgrade to a new solution when the existing one does the job.
This “Vista adoption slump” is also a clear indicator that people are no longer interested in jumping on MS’s “upgrade treadmill” any longer.
They’re either:
(1) sticking to the existing (Win2k or WinXP)
(2) switching to another platform (Linux, BSD or Mac)
or
(3) waiting until its absolutely necessary. (arrival of DirectX 10 games or once SP1 arrives).
Hating Windows doesn’t make you cool. Hating Windows is just an obvious indicator that people are getting tired and annoyed of Microsoft’s shit.
Once a legitimate alternative solution (seamless) becomes available, no one will miss Windows as they jump off.
I’m sick of Microsoft because:
(1) Their business practices.
(2) They abuse their dominant position.
(3) They use their political connections to influence key people in the USA. (Helps maintain their dominance in US Govt departments or helps change the criterias of new policies to benefit them).
(4) They straight-out lie to your face. You don’t know you’ve been lied to until AFTER you’ve laid down your money.
(5) They have more anti-trust cases than I have compiled the Linux or BSD kernel.
(6) They hide things from you.
(Did you know WGA still “phones home” to MS servers even if you select cancel?..But they don’t inform the user about it! Run a packet sniffer the next time you install Windows and get to the WGA part. You’ll see something interest leave your PC and head to MS’s servers.)
(7) Its they, who are to blame for the shit reputation of the PC. (Apple highlights it everytime in their TV ads)…The PC can be made to an awesome platform, if you have the right OS installed. Windows is NOT it.
(8) Of the pain and suffering EVERY desktop user has endured. Whether stability and security issues. (Think about it the next time you install an application that is to help Windows resolve security, registry, etc issues…In other OSs, you don’t need that shit, you only need to know good computing practices and be familiar with the built-in tools).
(9) For the format and protocol lock-in tactics.
(MS Office wouldn’t be needed if it wasn’t for doc format. Have a think about why their OOXML standard exists? That’s right, to counter ODF, because MS needs to maintain control! OOXML is NOT fully open.)
(10) They don’t know how to compete. They only know how to buy out and go on the PR offensive when competitor threatens them. Search for “Get the Facts” (MS’s FUD campaign against Linux on the server market).
(11) They pay third-parties to conduct studies to paint a bad image for the competitor. ie: “Linux has a higher TCO”, “Open-source is a target for Terrorists”, etc, etc. (This is so they can have “plausible deniability” if anyone tries to accuse them of anything!)
(12) They turn open standards into closed ones. (by adding their own proprietary features in, once they’ve got control of a standard).
(13) They side with the content providers instead of the consumers. Then they lie to the consumer about it. (Saying that they had no choice, if they were to offer HD content as playable). Its already proven by AnyDVD HD, etc, that you DO NOT need Vista’s DRM infrastructure AND hardware upgrades (for HDCP support) to view HD content. They lied to you and most of you blindly accepted it!
(14) Bill Gates was the first to suggest that software should be turned into a commodity. (Search for his “Open Letter to Hobbyists”). Software and PC hardware used to be open. Software used to be freely traded. Hardware companies used to provide specifications to their products.
Why do you think people ignore crap like WGA and continue to pirate? Software is supposed to be free. To make money, you actually charge for the support of software.
(15) You DO NOT own the operating system you paid for. You pay for the RIGHT TO USE IT. That’s it.
Overall, people are tired of Windows. They are wanting an alternative. The problem is, there’s no other one that fully fits their requirements. But that will happen some day.
the other reason it matters is MS just lost 55,000 customers from one memo. there’s been a steady rate of agencies world wide turning away from various MS products. government sales used to be 10% of revenue. no business can ignore loosing 10% without explanation, it’s growth or death.
personally, think this is why they’re putting more eggs in the home/entertainment basket over time. can see them a generation from now being more like a media conglomerate than an OS manufacturer. a sony with a clue on how to sell an integrated tech vision.
“(6) They hide things from you.
(Did you know WGA still “phones home” to MS servers even if you select cancel?..But they don’t inform the user about it! Run a packet sniffer the next time you install Windows and get to the WGA part. You’ll see something interest leave your PC and head to MS’s servers.)”
thats right , use Peer2Guardian and block M$ and u will see it connects to M$ every 6h when you don`t have the update feature on , it also connects to MSN.com and Hotmail ???!!! when i never use them … this remembers me the movie “The System” and that spartan virus
I’m surprised the U.S government don’t have novell servers with opensuse clients to be honest. Far more stable than m$ ie: uptime is measured in years not days. And as for office openoffice 2.0 uses all the same file extensions of m$ office products.
@grwegs,
Thanks…I posted a couple of videos on Youtube about Britney Spears shaving her head and I got flamed like hell…Oh well, I guess I got a lot of ppl not liking me…lol
That’s good news.
Nick writes:
“Sorry to say OSX has FAR FAR FAR more shortcomings than vista/xp….”
Not having used a Mac in my life and only hearing how great it is from Mac people around me, I am curious as to what these deficiencies are? Listening to them it’s like OSX is even better than sex, and I don’t really believe that. It often seems like a case of the opposite hype compared to Microsoft.
So please tell me: what are the problems with OSX?
I agree with only one thing said by the ms-whiners above, there is too much vista attention on this blog. This vista crap need no attention, if one wants a real OS, it should be linux all the way.
That’s why I’m still using XP & Mepis. Vista isn’t enough of an upgrade to change.
“These anti-Microsoft articles are total propoganda”
the DOT finding Vista makes no finacial or business sense is a fact
admitedly “bans vista” is a bit strong
First time i see so much MS fanboys crying and that is really odd.
You should try mandriva linux or ubuntu to feel the taste of free air… Do no see the computing world through corporate windows, come outside and feel the fresh air without all those virus and bacteria
Choosing not to upgrade is not the same thing as a ban, fuckwad. You guys have to quit trying to write and just stick to torrents, because you fuck this shit up every time.
J is right. It’s not a ban. It’s merely a common sense decision. Which means that as soon as it’s discovered it will be overturned and the person who made it fired.
Ultimately it does not matter if the Govt bans vista or not, Microsoft really gives you no choices. and like always eventually the govt will come around to bill gates way of thinking. but alas, it will be too late for vista… windows Vienna/ windows 7.0 as of 12.27.07, will be launched in late ‘09 and is not reverse compatible at all, all software will have to be reworked and restructured by every developer out there. basically 7.0 is the birth of the star trek OS. you speak it talks back…. can anyone say HAL… where’s Dave HAL….. (reference to 2010.. sequel to 2001)
hi