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Ford Giving Free PCs to All Employees
trims writes "Ford Motor Company is giving each of its 350,000 employees a computer & printer (and good ones, too), plus Internet service (by UUNet). Are we getting to the point where corporations subsidize the Internet in the name of productivity? It's a NY Times article (free registration required)" The Internet access is supposed to cost $5 per month - and possibly less in low-wage countries. Nice move, Ford!
is it one of those 'HotWheels' PC's??
Free registration required... why can't NYT get an Anonymous Coward account kind of thing... make the NYT site run off slash 0.9.2...
:)
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Anyhow, from what I gather in the header, it looks kind of cool. Considering such companies only spend about US$600 on each car they advertise they are putting a fair investment into the computers.
I don't know if this is good or bad though, yes give everyone computers, but boy will you[Ford] ever have headaches if problems start arising with them. 350,000 computers takes more then a 10 guy tech-support to operate.
#include <signal.h> \ #include <stdlib.h> \ int main(void){signal(ABRT,SIGIGN);while(1){abort(-1)
OFTC: By the community, for the community
I wonder if these new PCs are going to be liberally plastered with ads to recoup the cost. Or does the company actually consider that giving PCs away is a relatively cheap way of getting their work force more computer savvy?
- Blah blah blah, missing scientist. Blah blah blah, atomic bomb. -
Now all employees will be able to view pr0n in the privacy of their own homes. Yipeeeee!
Hm, it says HP expects at least 300,000 orders as a result of this offer. It also says that the machines (HP Pavilions; 500 MHz Celeron, 4.3 GB disk, CD-ROM, 56K modem, puny 15" monitor) ship with MS software, including "word processing and spreadsheets". I wonder what kind of money a deal like that gives to MS? ;^)
ObLinuxRant: just think of the money Ford could have saved if they gave their employees boxes with Linux on them! Heh, I don't think the support costs would go down quite as much, though.
main(O){10<putchar(4^--O?77-(15&5128 >>4*O):10)&&main(2+O);}
According to the Detroit NBC affiliate's 11:00 News, it looks like they are just giving the personal computers to people so that they will learn technology and become more productive. It seemed as though the thinking is that if people are already used to some technology, teaching them new ones (like computer controlled welding and things like that) will be easy. There were no mentions of adds, or any thing else. The computers are indeed brand name PCs. My thinking: 350,000 PCs = lots of IP address to get (Although I don't think it is THAT big a deal for UUNET).
--Josh
There are exactly 42,935,718 letter sized sheets in a square mile.
Who the hell wants an HP with windows? Get a clue Ford, give your employees something classy like iMacs.
You can have your computer any color,... as long it is black.
--
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
Now all these Ford employees have two jobs!
* Work for Ford by day
* Work for MS by night
Company Memo
---------------------------------
Dear Employees,
Congratulations on your new computer.
Here are a few of the things you can look forward to:
DLL Hell
Format C:
IRQ Conflict
Virus
Support Line
Monopoly
DOS
Learning Windows does not promote computer literacy, it promotes computer dependancy.
-----------------------------------------
Thats all fine and dandy but what would really steal the show is if Ford gave away a new PC with every car or truck they sold.
I mean think about it, the profit margin is so high on new vehicles anyway they sure wouldn't lose anything. And it would do a lot for customer satisfaction. I mean why spend the millions of dollars in advertising when something like this would probably work better and the dollars that would be spent on advertising go to the customer, where they belong anyhow.
Imagine the tech support headache though...
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
NPS Internet Solutions, LLC
www.npsis.com
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
www.haidacarver.com
hey cool... I'd given up on NYT.. guess they came over to the dark side :)
; }return(0);}
thanks for pointing that out.
#include <signal.h> \ #include <stdlib.h> \ int main(void){signal(ABRT,SIGIGN);while(1){abort(-1)
OFTC: By the community, for the community
For one I'm leery of the privacy concerns now that the "company" owns the machine that is supposed to be for "home use". I try to keep a clear distinction on what is work related and business related.
I have a business laptop and for all intents and purposes, it does everything I need it to do for work related purposes. I take it home and do work at home. I have a dial-up account with the company that gets me to the corporate intranet and internet access through the company proxy. Having a "home" PC from the company really would *not* add any "functionaly".
I also have a "home" PC, which I own. I have a dial-up account and email address with a personal ISP. I think the distiction is important because of privacy concerns. Knowing alittle about computer forensics and security, I would want to keep my personal files, browsing habbits, etc on a machines that can't be revoked by the company for analysis at anytime.
There seems to be a growing trend towards providing services for employees for their "conveniece". I read an article about how companies are using concierge services to help out employees with getting flowers, planning parties etc. The premise was that for every $1.00 spent by the company on the concierge service they company would recieve $1.75 worth of work out of its employees. With company t-shirts, cups, parties, home PC, etc I think we take one step towards being owned by a cult. In the article it tells of a woman who was emotionally distraught that the company was providing all these services just to get more productivity out of her not because they thought she was a great person.
We get a free PC, fairly high spec. Basically you get a budget and build your own system from a major supplier (ok.. Dell ;). I've yet to hear of anyone getting a Linux system, but I never even opened the NT bundle that came with mine. And you can chip in for extra bits (like a 19' FST monitor).
The problem is that it's value reduces pro-rata for three years after you get it, leave before then, you have to pay off the outstanding balance. Which given the depreciation and rapid obselescance (sp?) on PC's sucks. If you leave early, say after a year, you still owe 3500 Nlg (Dutch Guilders) on a PC which is worth maybe 2000 (tops) by that time.
But if you stay it's not a bad deal (which is no doubt part of the plan). I think it is aimed most at the staff who would not otherwise buy a decent PC (we're not all techies here), and for them I think it is a good idea, gives them experience, etc.. Even if it is experience in the wrong OS.
EZ
-'Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to log in..'
"Oops, I always forget the purpose of competition is to divide people into winners and losers." - Hobbes
Oh well, the parochial nature of the NYT stories, and the marginal and decreasing journalistic standards mean that I'm not going to sign up to yet another lame web "account", and remember yet another fricken password. It's only a matter of time before I accidentally use one of my root passwords for a core server to register for one of these lame sites.. and that would be BAD :)
The PC's are apparently owned by PeoplePC, and not by either HP or their workers. However, HP pays part of the standard lease rate for any of their employees who participate. Is this subsidy considered taxable income for the worker?
Nevertheless, I think it's a good idea. Five years ago, I was able to get a high-end new computer because my employer provided interest free loans for computer purchases. Of course, when I left for a higher paying job, I had to pay the entire remaining balance in one lump sum; but it's better than losing the whole computer with all my personal files.
--
Index of Alternative Operating Systems
--
Index of Alternative Operating Systems
www.indexos.com
If I worked for Ford I would rather they gave me a PC than a car. If I worked for BMW ...
I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
The Ford Motor Company Halewood Transmission Plant in Merseyside, England, has launched the iB5 transmission assembly line, a 70- node modular system using a visual logic controller on home-based PC control software. The Halewood installation is the first of its kind within the European community and is currently in full production. The control software incorporates in-process testing, press force monitoring, and torque control to operator position pick-up recognition systems. Integration of the VLC provides a common look and feel to the HMI and a logical user-friendly format to bring on-line diagnostic and fault-recovery beyond the realm of maintenance personnel and engineers down to the operator level. These advanced diagnostics provide operator visual aids, digital images to assist maintenance in identifying the component area of breakdown, and on-line access to electrical drawings.
Engineers, operators and maintenance personnel are able to use this technology from their own homes, and have been doing so as part of the largest trial of homeworking in Europe ever.
What I want to know is when this kind of software will be available for Linux based PCs and when other large corporates are going to take this employment model up.
It seems that you haven't tried to do more that use a web browser on a Windows machine. Try writing a WDM that is compatible with everything in the world while still not locking up the machine and wiping your HD. Another thing...Since all of the windows people are such F...... idiots why do I make so much money supporting windows technology. (remember i'm an idiot too) Hmmm... And just one more thing. Not everyone in the world wants to live , eat , breath code. Unfortunatly I do. Windows is good for those people who don't care about the 12 node Beowulf in my personal lab or what it can do. If someone gave me a 500 mhz machine I'd be happy. Just give me one and watch me smile as I add my 13 node. (gee I might even try to see if I could get Windows to work as the OS on the 13th (I have no idea how I'd do it but why not))
for the love of god, take a breath! sheesh.
Could you tell me when is this supposed to happen? I work in a small company in Bulgaria (this is on the Balkan Peninsula, Europe), and we pay $300 per month for the Internet connection and another $35 for the leased line. This isn't much but we only get 14400 bps for the whole LAN of nine PCs, three Macs and a Linux server (This sounded a bit like The Last Supper, didn't it? :)).
The ISPs say that it's the connection to the USA that is expensive but I think that those prices are much smaller in the Central and West European countries.
looks like (350 000 accounts) * (5$ / month) = $1 750 000/month sure money for uunet. :).
this makes it $21 000 000 / year. yep, that's cool
I do think a generation of drones is in the making.
threadeds blog
While I would like to believe that this is a pure genuinely "nice" move on the part of Ford, my instinct and general distrust of corporate America tells me otherwise, but I have no solid basis for any argument.
I still don't know all the facts, but I understand from a few poorly written mass media articles that this has something to do with the discussions between Ford and the UAW. The part that interests me most is whether this whole deal was part of the labor contract, or is merely a generous gesture from Ford.
As far as the whole privacy/Ford-is-big-brother theory, I doubt that is of any substance. While it is entirely possible that they could do that, just the thought of the nightmarish PR scandal that would arise if such a scheme was uncovered should shy away even the most Orwellian of corporate policy makers.
Just my four ha'pennies
Jesus may love you, but I think you're garbage wrapped in skin.
A choice of masters is not freedom
I'm a potential beneficiary of this, and this is the first I've heard of it! :-)
/., and whose income is well below what most of us are on. They're not too bothered about the spec - just being able to write a letter in Word is a giant step forward for them.
Anyway, the point is that this isn't for the benefit of folks like us. Anyone slagging off Ford for the low-spec base machine (I'm still using a P1 233 with a 14" monitor for software and PCB design at home BTW, and I've never needed more) is missing the point. This is for ppl who haven't got a PC, have never heard of
The big deal for me is the cheap net access. In the UK, British Telecom owns the last mile of copper, their pricing is criminal, and our telecoms watchdog is talking about being _less_ restrictive?!?! If Ford's going to do cheap net access for its employees, that's going to remove the single biggest obstacle to getting on line for folks in the UK, the phone bill.
from the promoting-COMPUTR-literacy-in-a-very-cool-way dept.
/. would do the same thing, but with regular literacy :-P
:-)
Now if only
Just kidding
I'd be rather amused if Ford, in giving its :)
assembly-line workers computers, ended up
sparking their interest in doing side businesses
on the Internet, like selling stuff on eBay,
writing web pages, maybe writing code, etc.,
initially as a hobby, then making money from it,
and soon making more money than at Ford
Actually, Ford is usually trying to cut back
its labor force anyway, so perhaps this isn't
such a bad thing for them. And of course some
people will end up using those new computer skills
to work in other more computer-centric positions
within Ford, which is good for Ford.
350,000 Ford employees, 1% (minimum)are probably computer savvy
3,500 computer savvy Ford workers 5% might read Slashdot
175 computer savvy Ford workers that read Slashdot, 10% think they're funny
17 new computer Savvy Ford Working Slashdot Hot-Grits-Down-My-Pants Workers Great.... Thank you.
-----
"Defenestration" is to throw out of a window; what's a word for throwing 'Windows' out of something?
In the UK yesterday (3rd Feb) there were news articles about the possibility of Ford closing it's production plant in London, with the loss of hundreds (thousands?) of jobs. Apparently it wasn't profitable enough. Yet they'll buy shedloads of computers?
Next, UUNet will be giving all it's employees Ford cars, and subsidising gas costs.
Desperation is a stinky cologne
I don't think it's necessary to be so suspicious about the company's intentions. Why would Ford want to know about the personal Internet dealings of its employees? More likely, they're giving them the personal computers so that they don't use their work computers for "inappropriate" uses. For many people, the only computers they have access to are the ones on their desks at work, and that is guaranteed to lead to them using it for personal (i.e., "inappropriate") e-mail, commerce, and entertainment.
>It seems that you haven't tried to do more that use a web browser on a Windows machine.
:-)
I would try. It's just that windows sucks so hard it doesn't work good enough to support most programs. A web browser is in fact often too hot for windows to handle.
>Try writing a WDM that is compatible with everything in the world while still not locking up the machine and wiping your HD.
Common man, that is such a LAME excuse. If I pay $300 for something, it better damn well work!
And BTW: If, by WDM, you mean windowing display manager, I'm using one right now that doesn't even need to touch the hard drive (save for opening a few read only files). VTWM!
>Another thing...Since all of the windows people are such F...... idiots why do I make so much money supporting windows technology. (remember i'm an idiot too)
You make so much money because no one is jealous of your job - supporting a bunch of total morons has got to make for a crappy work day. I know people on tech support for internet services that dread the next call.
>Not everyone in the world wants to live , eat , breath code.
I don't either. So? I use Linux. You don't have to be a super coder to use Linux today. You can just be an educated computer person (ie. You know what an IRQ is, etc...).
>Windows is good for those people who don't care about the 12 node Beowulf in my personal lab or what it can do.
Nahhh, windows is good for the person who wants to take 5 minute breaks every hour or so.
Big Big:
Information gotten in this way can be very sensitive, and it can be used to keep the employee in line.
This is for ppl who haven't got a PC, have never heard of /., and whose income is well below what most of us are on. I don't know where you get the idea that UAW workers are paid below what others are. The typical UAW worker at Ford gets about $25 per hour, along with copious overtime...they average well above $70k per year, which goes pretty far in S.E. Michigan
As Ford intends to promote 'computer literacy' why not make the machine dual booting? It wouldn't cost anymore (just change the disc image).
Additional tech support requirements should be minimal as the majority of people would just use Windows (anti-flame comment: additional is the key word in that sentence).
However, a few of the more adventurous would try Linux and get much more computer literate as a result. They might even get more productive with the inevitable increase in 'uptime'
Ford are you listening?
MM
A company is known by the people it keeps...
Ford: Fix Or Repair Daily. Ford: Has your gas tank exploded today?
I think it's cool Ford is doing it again. Kudos to them.
Later...
KangarooBox - We make IT simple!
Back before the days of PC's.
As a result, we have a basis for comparison, and know that systems can be stable, 100% predictable, and customized to be exactly the way we want them, nothing more and nothing less.
Linux provides this capability on PC hardware. The winged monkeys from MS are focused on making everyting Happy-Clicky. The majority of them have nevery used anything but windows. Ask any farmer: too much inbreeding is bad for the stock. No wonder they can't "innovate"
I pay close to 133$ US per month and that is for lousy 31,200bps access, and have to suffer thru busy lines, and disconnections.
This is in Saudi Arabia, and half that amount is a monthly subscription fee (233 SR), and the rest is per minute charges from the telephone company (0.075 SR per minute).
You can read more about it in Cost of Access in the Middle East vs. other places on my Saudi ISPs Comparison web site, and also Middle East Internet Statistics site.
You guys in North America have it really easy, with free access providers popping up, and free local calls as well.
Sigh! If this sounds like a complaint, it probably is!
2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
I work at General Motors, the home of the unproductive worker. I am posting this all around the plant I work. Nothing like trying to start a war! Life can be fun sometimes!
If you have a secret for avoiding DLL Hell, I'd sure like to know it.
You're damn right most people don't have static configurations. Software is constantly improving and upgrades are constantly needed. It's unreasonable to expect someone to keep on using Word 95 when everyone around him is using the new Word 97 file formats.
So given that most people do not live in a bubble and need to upgrade their software, let's compare Windows and Linux on the typical tasks of software installation, removal, and upgrading.
In Redhat Linux I can, with a single command, list all the files that come with StarOffice and all the dynamic libraries it depends on to run. In Windows, well, if you know a way to list all the files that come with MSOffice and all the DLLs it requires, I'd sure like to know.
In Redhat Linux a single centralized program can uninstall any software package on the computer. It knows what files to uninstall, lets you see what those files are if you want, and checks to make sure the uninstall doesn't break any dependencies. If you can get Windows to tell me the files it's about to uninstall, to check program dependencies before uninstalling, or even to present a uniform uninstallation interface instead of the hodgepodge of hundreds of different uninstall.exe's made by dozens of different companies, well, I'd sure like to know.
In Redhat Linux, if I'm about to install a package, I can list the files contained in the package, the libraries the package requires, and check that my system satisfies all the dependencies before installing the software. In Windows, well, if you know a way to get setup.exe to reveal what files it's going to install where, and what DLLs the installed program needs, I'd sure like to know.
Now you may rightly argue that grandma doesn't need to know anything about DLLs to install her software, but that's no justification for leaving out the capability entirely. System administrators use Windows too, and all the sysadmins I know would be very happy if it could be possible to have Windows make their lives easier in ways that Linux already is.
I have that image of Japanese zaibatsu providing everything for their employees. "I am Toyota" and the like.
But I maybe wrong.
--
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
[...]it would do a lot for customer satisfaction
No! Computers are frustrating for most of the people. Imagine if they associate their computer frustation with your company. Bad business, bad business.
--
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
Some people on slashdot really need to grow up a little.
Someone giving away something practically free? bash it because its a *shitty* HP or because it has windows on it.
Then there's the moron AC who said
work for ford by day
work for MS by night
Get a clue. I have to use windows at work, does that mean i'm working for MS? if so I haven't received my paycheck yet.
This kind of bashing happens on pretty much every story on slashdot. Are these people just jealous or just so selfish that even if something doesn't have anything to do with them and it isn't the way the way they'd like it if it did have to do with them, that they get pissed?
grow up
350,000 is a big number. How is Ford expecting to benefit from this gift. I think the money could be better spent to generate a stronger work force, and I don't think that the employees really need the computer literacy. And what the hell is with Ford's slogan anyways, "In a perfect world everything would be different?" What does that mean, everything sucks? I think Ford is trying to develop the UberTruck by performing horrible experiments on innocent GM cars. Next thing you know they'll be leading my Pontiac on a train so that she can be enslaved, tortured, and eventually killed.
They're just trying to brainwash us. I smell conspiracy.
--
Stop calling me human.
For the most part, no one does anything which is not good for themselves. However some people, and some companies even, have a wider and broader view of what is good for themselves other then what will drive up their stock price next quarter, and thankfully Ford seems to have this here.
:)
My guess behind their motives is this. First, it definitely increases company loyalty. In the modern age company loyalty is all but out the window.
Second, it will help make the entire work force technologically more savy. This has two important effects. One is that it makes the current workforce easier to retrain when they upgrade their equipment used internally. The Second is it makes it a more attractive place to work for technology people. By being the first to do such a program, they greatly increase their competitive edge vs. others companies.
Third it gets them a lot of great press. People look at Ford differently 'cause they are doing something which is not blantantly in their self interets.
This is all a very cynical look at things, but I have started reading Heinlein books again so you must forgive me.
Ford should be congradulated a lot for taking a holistic view of their best interests, and realizing that further educating the american public in any way, keeping them competitive in any way, so that america continues to lead the world in technology, hence continues to have lots of disposable income, hence can buy high end Ford Explorers and such is in their best interests.
(p.s. all statements are IMVHO)
There is no silver bullet. Plus, werewolves make better neighbors than zombies or vampires anyway.
I'm so glad nice paternalistic Ford can find the funding to subsidise PCs for its workers in the US. What a pity that over here (in the UK) the same company is seriously considering shutting down an entire plant, moving production to where workers' rights are weaker and throwing thousands of people onto the dole (welfare to US readers). Makes you think. Hopefully.
DETROIT, Feb. 3 -- The Ford Motor Company said today that each of its 350,000 employees worldwide, from factory workers in India to car designers in Michigan, would be offered a high-speed desktop computer, a color printer and unlimited Internet access for just $5 a month.
Employees' families will be encouraged to use the equipment, made by the Hewlett-Packard Company, and will be given e-mail accounts. The Ford offer, which executives said was intended to promote computer literacy, includes color monitors, speakers, technical support and ample capacity for workers and their families to create their own Web sites.
Mark Margevicius, a senior research analyst at the Gartner Group, a computer consulting firm, said that Ford was the first big company to try to make home computers available to all its employees. "I have not even heard of anything like this happening," he said.
Ford executives portrayed today's initiative as an example of corporate munificence and as a way to improve company communications with workers, but auto industry experts said that it could carry several benefits for the company. Ford has had the best labor relations in the domestic auto industry -- its last strike was in 1986 -- but morale has been damaged by its plans to spin off its auto parts division, Visteon Automotive Systems, later this year. Visteon workers will be included in today's program even after the two companies separate, Ford officials said.
Ford and other automakers have invested heavily in automation and need workers who are comfortable operating computers that control the equipment. Factory jobs such as robot repair now require as much as a year of training, some of which could be done online at home.
Envious of the high stock market valuations of computer and Internet companies, Ford officials have begun a concerted effort in the last year to portray their company not as a stodgy manufacturer but as a maker of consumer products actively involved in electronic commerce. Recent initiatives include using the Internet to procure auto parts, promote new car models and keep track of automotive maintenance records.
Ford executives have long admired the way the Saturn division of General Motors uses its corporate image to sell cars and have tried for several years to project a more progressive image of their own. As part of this campaign, Ford already advertises that its automobiles tend to score the best on government crash tests, and that its sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks pollute far less than regulations allow.
Ford also has a history as a ground-breaking employer. Henry Ford, the company's founder and great-grandfather of its current chairman, William C. Ford Jr., infuriated other industrialists in 1913 when he doubled the wage for assembly-line workers to $5 each eight-hour day. But the move reduced training costs at a time when workers were so scarce in Detroit and turnover so high that only one in 10 Ford employees stayed for more than a few months.
Ford officials said they did not know how many workers would want the computers, but predicted that almost all would take them. Delivery of the Hewlett-Packard computers and ink-jet printers will start in the United States in April, and the price might be set lower than $5 a month for workers in lower-wage countries, said James Yost, Ford's chief information officer.
Ford will offer Internet home pages in 14 languages for employees and does not plan to pay for the program through online advertising, though there will be home page links to Ford Web sites. UUNet, a division of MCI WorldCom, will be the Internet service provider.
Nearly 190,000 of Ford's 350,000 employees live outside the United States, as the company builds cars in countries like Poland and India to sell to their growing middle classes.
Mr. Yost and Ford's vendors declined to estimate the cost of the program. Nick Grouf, the chairman and chief executive of PeoplePC, the company that will manage the program, said that for other clients, PeoplePC has distributed less-powerful personal computers with unlimited Internet access but without printers for $24.95 a month. Given the discount that Ford is offering, this suggests the company could spend close to $100 million a year if most of its employees participate.
Ford is earning record profits and has $23.6 billion in cash reserves.
The basic PC in the Ford program, the HP Pavilion, is powerful, with a 500-megahertz Intel Celeron chip. It has a 4.3-gigabyte hard disk, a CD-ROM drive, a 56K modem, speakers, a 15-inch color monitor and Microsoft software including word processing and spreadsheets.
Employees will be eligible for the computers, printers and Internet access even if they already have them at home. They can lease more-powerful models -- with Pentium III chips, laser printers and even DVD players for movies -- at deep discounts if they are not satisfied with the base model. Prices for upgrades have not been determined.
Hewlett-Packard expects at least 300,000 orders, which would equal 4 percent of its worldwide PC shipments last year.
PeoplePC will ship the computers and provide round-the-clock technical support by telephone, including toll-free lines in many countries. Ford will not monitor employees' Internet use or e-mail in any way, Mr. Yost said.
The program was discussed during Ford's negotiations in the fall with the United Automobile Workers union, and was backed by Jacques Nasser, Ford's chief executive. Ford is committed to the program for at least three years, after which it will review it, Mr. Yost said.
G.M. and DaimlerChrysler concluded their talks with the U.A.W. before the idea came up. Their spokesmen said today they would study Ford's initiative. Toyota, Nissan and Honda said they had no plans to follow Ford's example.
Ford factories in the United States already provide free computer training labs for all workers to surf the Internet. Mark Pudelek, a 34-year-old assembler of engine alternators in Rawsonville, Mich., said that he had gone online at the factory but would now get his first home PC for his wife and 5-year-old daughter.
"I think it's going to be a great learning tool for my daughter, for the ABC's, counting and all," he said.
It's written by Steven Miller at Microosoft. And it does a heck of a lot more than lsit dependencies, it also tells you what functions of the dependent DLLs are used, DLL versions, base addresses etc etc.
It can list dependencies for any valid Win32 module (DLL, EXE, OCX etc).
Quite a useful app, and essential for Windows developers.
The executable is called "depends.exe" which comes with the NT Resource kit (amongst some other really cool utilities - many are equivalents of unix commands).
They want to run 350,000 D.NET clients and beat Slashdot. :)
Nipok Nek
Why choose white shoes?
According to NPR yesterday, the PC's are a required part of the new Ford contract with the UAW, and the UAW is hoping to get Daimler-Chrysler to follow suit when its contract comes up for discussion. The article indicated that the PC's were the union's idea, not Ford's.
There is no 'i' in team, but there is in fiasco...
This sounds wonderful! /., in order just to feel comfortable working in the world today.
People do need to learn how to use computers, if not at the level of most of the users of
Ford seems to understand how important it is for its employees to have computers and have access to the internet. Some will argue about the people that this will somehow make all of these employees drones, and that they will have no choice with the computers, and that M$ and Ford will use them to controll the employees. This is a choice the employess will have to make. It is a choice. If you don't like the deal, don't get the computer.
I laugh in response to those individuals who suggest that the computers should have Linux preinstalled, and that to not do so is evil. Find me a distribution that is easy enough to use that someone who does not own a computer can figure it out, and I will gladly (and happily) endorse its use. Lets be realistic.
I'm glad to see a company trying to eliminate the "digital divide." While you and I have a computer and internet access, I'd imagine that most of Ford's assembly line workers don't have a computer. I think this is a great move, and I would hope to see other companies (including ones in other industries), especially ones that pay low wages, follow in Ford's footsteps.
-Michael [Remove two parts of address to mail me]
Okay, depends.exe can be downloaded at no cost. That's good. It can list the dlls that an executable requires. That's good.
But I'm talking about much more. Let's say I want to know not just what dlls winword.exe requires, but the dlls that MSOffice as a whole requires. As far as I know, and taking into account what you told me, there is no way to do this.
Information about what libraries a software package requires as a whole is very useful for a system administrator. Windows is as far as I can tell architecturally incapable of performing this basic function, because there is no central program keeping track of which files go with which software packages. If there is a way of listing all the files that came with MSOffice, again, I'd like to know :-)
This almost makes me proud to still be driving my '91 Tempo...
The Divine Creatrix in a Mortal Shell that stays Crunchy in Milk
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
The five most unreliable ways to get news:
1. Slashdot
2. NPR
3. Turds
3. Gossip
5. Old, dried up turds.
you dumb turd
Is Ford going to be sued for corruption of minors if they don't install filters on the PCs?
Sounds silly, but this is the American way of life (for the Ford employees that are still in the US)
Lib.BENCH the only site you'll ever need!
I think you folks think that Ford will preinstall some commercial Linux distribution on the computers to be sold to their employees.
Only one problem: Linux in its current state is still too hard to use for neophyte computer users. Besides, there's a LOT more software available for Windows 98 users, so I'm not surprised that the machines made available by Ford through PeoplePC are running Windows 98 Second Edition.
My guess is that the machines have Windows 98 Second Edition and Microsoft Works 2000 installed on the hard drive.
Once Linux supports "hot docked" PnP devices and has driver installs as easy as Windows 98/2000, THEN we can seriously consider it as an alternative to Windows 98/2000. Hopefully, the Linux 2.4.x kernel, improved OpenGL support and other improvements due this summer will do just that.
Raymond in Mountain View, CA
If I'm not mistaken Apple at one point gave away Macs to their employees only to pull them out later under a hail of complaints from the employee's loved ones. It seems that the employees were are work more or less 24x7.
I wouldn't be too concerned about invasion of privacy in this case. I must agree with other statements I've seen on this topic that I think this is just a way of Ford helping itself by helping it's employee's get used to new technology. The end result my be self preservation, but the way I see it, this benifits all involved.
I've seen some of the robotics systems inside of Ford. Most of them are the latest Allen-Bradly PLC setups and basicly can be controled through a point/click mannor. Far cry from just a few years ago where you had to do all the ladder programming by hand then transfer it to the PLC via dat tape.
I've seen other companies provide PC's for their people and I think it's great. Though I think this is the first time it's ever been done on this grand of a scale. Basicly I think what will either make this great, or a disaster is the terms that Ford will put in place to the employee's that take them up on this offer.
So, as far as I can see, Ford is doing a great thing by helping to spread techonology to those that may afraid or unable to afford it. So long as the people of Ford are happy with this, who is to say anything against it.
Trying to be different, just like everyone else.
>The really nefarious part of all this is that those people who would most need a free computer, because they are unable to afford one
They are Ford employees. They generally have a stable job and decent salary and the costs of computers are very low. These are not the type of people who can't afford their own computers.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
Statoil, the state-owned oil company in Norway gave all employees new PCs a couple of years ago. They also got free ISDN connections to the net...
It's actually a brilliant move for Ford. People PC/HP/UUNet is probably charging Ford roughly $20 per person per month. Then the worker pays $5 of that. So Ford is paying $15 a month. If the person that gets the PC does 2 hours of work (sending e-mails, fixing up a document, etc) a month Ford makes their money back in productivity. Sure they may say they're fostering a better understanding of technology, but they're doing it in a way that benifits them. I definately don't see anything wrong with it though. People get cheap PC's with Internet access and Ford gets more work done. This is also why they would have to use MS. Having a ramp up time for their people to learn a new OS would be wasteful. Trust me, Ford is not about to replace thier Win95/NT platform choices overnight.
FECP HARDWARE CONFIGURATIONS
(Note - Models and components may vary by region)
Basic Configuration Basic Plus Premium Ultimate Processor Celeron 500 Celeron 533 Pentium-III 600Mhz Pentium-III 733Mhz RAM 64MB 64MB 128MB 256MB HardDrive 4.3 GB 10.2 GB 20.4 GB 40.0 GB Modem 56Kb modem 56Kb modem 56Kb modem 56Kb modem Optical 1 48x CD-ROM CD-RW (burner) CD-RW (burner) CD-RW (burner) Optical 2 DVD Player DVD Player Network Card 10BT Network Card 10BT Network Card 10BT Network Card Keyboard Keyboard Keyboard Keyboard Keyboard Mouse Mouse Mouse Mouse Mouse Speakers Small Polk Audio Spkrs Small Polk Audio Spkrs Large Polk Audio Spkrs Large Polk Audio Spkrs and Subwoofer Monitor 15" color monitor 17" Color Monitor 17" Color Monitor 19" Color Monitor Video 8Mb 8Mb Premium Video Card w/16MB Premium video Card w/16MB and TV-out Chassis Mini-Tower Mini-Tower Mid-Tower Mid-Tower Software, MS-Works 2000, MS-Money, Quicken Basic 2000, QuickLinkIII, MS Encarta, McAfee Antivirus MS-Works 2000, MS-Money, Quicken Basic 2000, QuickLinkIII, MS Encarta, McAfee Antivirus MS-Works 2000, MS-Money, Quicken Basic 2000, QuickLinkIII, MS Encarta, McAfee Antivirus MS-Works 2000, MS-Money, Quicken Basic 2000, QuickLinkIII, MS Encarta, McAfee Antivirus Power Protector Belkin strip surge protector Belkin strip surge protector Belkin strip surge protector Belkin strip surge protector Printer HP 610 Color Inkjet HP 610 Color Inkjet HP 610 Color Inkjet HP 610 Color Inkjet
OTHER UPGRADE OPTIONS:
1st Upgrade 2nd Upgrade 3rd Upgrade Printers HP 930 Color Inkjet HP Officejet T45XI
Color Printer, Scanner, Copier HP 1100 AXI Laserjet Monitors From 15" to 17"
From 15" to 19"
From 17" to 19" From 17" to 19" No Upgrade
(Upgrades will be at employees' expense)
I'm sure an insightful comment could be made trying to tie this in with Brave New World, but I have a doctoral written exam in 2 hours so I'm in no condition to make it...
It doesn't look like there will be anything else but Microsoft software on these computers.
One shoe seems to fit all Ford workers. No Linux option for them.
//Pingo
--- Linux or FreeBSD, it's like blondes or brunettes. I like both. ---
It doesn't look like there will be anything else but Microsoft software on these computers.
One shoe seems to fit all Ford workers. No Linux option for them. The fine print might even forbid tampering with the OS.
//Pingo
--- Linux or FreeBSD, it's like blondes or brunettes. I like both. ---
1: Ford will lower the time employees spend on-line while at work. In my company this was a big problem.
2: Lower the training costs, If Ford spends $200.00 (this is low) to train each employee on the office suite, this knowledge (and $) is lost when the employee leaves the company. Now the employee will have to pay for it by buying the computer when they leave.
3: Lower Microsoft Enterprise Agreement prices for Ford. This could be where a large part of the money is coming from. An average EA for a company with just 2000 users is $190.00. (win/office/back office CAL). How much "rebate" (aka kickback) is M/S giving to Ford?
Just my thoughts.
Sit... Speak.... Shake.... Good Dog!
so now I can count on even more spam on the net, but now with an emphasis toward crappy cars. sigh.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Please! I'd be willing to bet if there are any Macs in use at Ford it is in the communications dept. (advertising). I seriously doubt you'd find a grape flavored IMac on the production floor. The simple fact is most large companies are using the x86 machines.
Damn, that last order for PCs fell thru. we have all these PCs in stock, ready to ship, and the customer refuses to buy them anymore. I think I heard him say something about not wanting that crappy M$ software on them or something... so what can we do with all these?
executive at ford:
hey, I hear you guys have a shitload of PCs that you can't unload. tellya what, I'll buy them at half cost, the whole lot of them. whaddya say?
accountant at ford:
hey, we could turn a positive spin on this. we can get a tax break by giving these as gifts, we only paid half cost for them, and we get free PR as a result! sure, lets go for it.
security and HR at ford:
and also, since we control the way they access the net, we can see if the employees are browsing any 'controversial' sites. of course we have piss tests and background checks before we hire anyone, but this gives us yet another way to screen out 'bad apples'. so even if the employee sneaks by and fakes the piss test (etc), his browsing habbits will surely show his true nature. if he's a commie, druggie or even secretly prefers foreign cars, we'll soon know about that. think of the possibilities - we'll know more about each of our employees than ever before.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
I live in Argentina, so I'll try to get me one of those computers.. I think my uncle works on Ford.. :)
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Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
Ford is a pure M$ shop anyway. So why would this be a surprise? It's probably some stunt created for publicity, the seed of which was doubtless planted by one of Bills minions.
Hey, that's not funny ;). I live near Stuttgart, Germany; the production plants for Porsche and Mercedes are situated here. So you get to know a lot of Mercedes/Porsche employees. If you work there, you get really attractive discounts on the cars they make. Actually, I once met a network administrator (girl) who works at Porsche who is driving a brand new Boxster!!! Seems to be dead cheap for her, because she wasn't paid extremely well. In this town, you can't throw a stone without hitting a Mercedes, because all the DaimlerChrysler employees own one.
Where you can have any colour of computer, as long as it is a semitransparent fruit flavour.
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
I think this is a cool idea. Five dollars a month is way less than just an Internet connection would cost, let alone renting a computer and a printer. I have to wonder why the printer though. It's an extra expense for Ford, and does it add much value for the home users?
My dad was a mechanic back in the 1970s and when I was looking for a car to buy, he told me some interesting things about how much he hated working on Fords... has Ford improved?
1) FORD = Fix Or Replace Daily
2) GM's not so bad because when you want to buy a part you could just get a $5 "standard" part at K-Mart, where Ford uses some stupid proprietary thing with some useless difference that prevents you from using the cheap part at K-Mart. So the equivalent Ford part costs something like $35. Does anyone know if they have changed?
Changing subjects, I don't know why everyone likes BMW. I used to think they were cool for a few months, but then I got sick of their styling, all their cars have the same bland look. And now everyone's got one, there's no more prestige anymore. If I were rich and wanted a european sports sedan (sold in America) I'd consider the Audi S4 or Mercedes-Benz E55 before any BMW.
The real reason why Ford is doing this is that they want to spy on their employees personal habits electronically. Everybody knows that W98 clandestinely surveils what the user is doing and then sends that gathered data back "home" over the Internet.
On the news last night, they made this announcement from ford, along with a icon over the newcaster's shoulder, with the Ford logo, and the HP logo. I certainly think its great that Ford is providing computer to employees. They have the resources to provide computers to their employees far cheaper then their employees could purchase them alone. However, I thought this news announcement was rather humorous, because they made it a point that the computers were Hewlett Packard TM, and the package also include a Hewlett Packard TM inkjet printer. The next blurb immediately following on my local news was ALSO about HP! Announcing some partnership (I can't even remember who it was with). So some HP marketing guys are congratulating everyone involved on this :-)
Spyky
Count on it -- UUNet is the big winner in this equation. Neither Ford nor Ford employees are losing, mind you, but UUNet is the biggest winner. Especially if they're not buying the PCs.
Even if they are buying PCs, it's still a good deal though. New ISP users are getting more expensive to acquire through advertising every day. UUNet could buy the computers for every Ford employee who signed up and consider themselves darned lucky to have only spent the non-retail price for a bulk ordered HP computer.
And remember, not all employees are actually going to need/want new computers. Some of them will already have home PCs and will switch to UUNet because their company subsidizes the price of the service. Then UUNet would be soaking up gravy at no real expense to itself.
Anyhow, talk about a deal where everyone wins.
..worth driving..
It's a joke, people =)
"Please don't sigh like that, maam"
No, really. Ford's insight was essentially the power of network effect: selling cheaply to millions beats selling expensively to thousands any day, and it guarantees a future market. Also, making a world where buying and using your products is the easiest thing in the world is great for the bottom line.
Besides proprietary software, other industries that could really use a Henry Ford:
Telcos -- you know, if we opened up all this unused capacity and stopped getting in people's way, everyone would buy it!
Record and Movie Studios -- you know, if we made digital distribution easy and stopped getting in people's way, our products would spread like wildfire of their own accord!
Airlines -- you know, if we made our pricing comprehensible, shared the market, and stopped treating passengers as cattle, we could run this place!
Why haven't more industries learned this lesson?
"You can't get something for nothing." - my grandfather, on the stock market and Reaganomics.
Ford CEO Jac Nasser currently communicates with Ford's white-collar employees via a weekly e-mail newsletter. Putting computers in the homes of all Ford employees would allow him to access the automaker's entire work force via the Internet, even those employees who do not have desks because they work on assembly lines.
Looked at from a historical perspective, this deal could represent a major social revolution. It appears that Ford will be the first major company to offer all of its employees home computers at no cost. It was also the company that pioneered the five dollar day. This dramatically boosted workers take home pay in the early 1900s and allowed assembly line workers to afford the Model Ts that they produced.
This does not even consider the goodwill that the company and the union will engender in the workforce by providing a free computer for use in every employee's home. Think of the educational possibilities for the children of each Ford employee.
What would happen if a benefit like this were available to the employees of other large companies?
--
Dave Aiello
-- Dave Aiello
Yes, this is a very nice thing for American autoworkers and their families. But most of them either have computers or are likely to get them in a year or two.
The truly significant and groundbreaking step here is that ALL their workers worldwide will get PCs. 190,000 of these are overseas. What is a surprisingly kind gesture here is manna from heaven in Poland or India. I don't know the level of penetration of computers into these countries, but I rather doubt that it has even grazed the top of the blue-collar market.
In America, if someone works for Ford, you'll know where they got their PC.
In India, if someone works for Ford, you'll know they HAVE a PC.
This is extremely good for PR in these countries, as well as boosting worker loyalty and getting a more educated workforce.
This article says nothing about how they might explicitly monitor the computing habits of their employees. However, the opportunity is wide open.
For one, people are encouraged to use a particular ISP (MCI). Will their accounts be flagged and monitored? Is there a hidden deal here where Ford gets information on what these employees are doing?
They say these computers will be used to train employees. What kind of software is getting installed? I for one would install and boot into Linux after training. Or dual boot another version of windows 95 or something. In any case, the OS that program goes onto, would be treated as contaminated in my house.
The company town, by the way, was not entirely unlike the government nanny state. The company gave you a place to live, and controlled all aspects of your life. To see why this was bad, check out the history of The Pullman Strike.
Ciao!
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
Nice. This makes me more prowd to have a '93 Mustang. Pic
--
Lab test show that use of micro$oft causes deadly cancer in lab animals.
There's been a lot of coverage on LabourStart about the AFL-CIO and Australian deals, but this is the first time I've heard of a company, working together with a union (and one wonders - what about the other unions representing Ford workers in other countries?) to do a deal like this.
A very interesting development in any case, and one which might contribute to moving very large numbers of ordinary working people -- including those who work on assembly lines -- online. The potential for trade unions and social change activists is enormous, if this happens.
Workers of the world, unite! http://www.labourstart.org
Nice. This makes me more proud to have a '93 Mustang. Pic
--
Lab test show that use of micro$oft causes deadly cancer in lab animals.
I wonder what the motives behind doing this are... Was it to better their people? Boost Sales? A little of both?
Well, it accomplished one thing... I will be buying a Ford for my next vehicle. Here's why:
1. Ford is an American company. I know, "Buy American" sounds a little cheesy in this day and age, but it is still a good idea. Beats paying unemployed auto workers welfare.
2. Ford is investing in the future of Ford Familys. Think about this... Ford Will not be able to retain it's current work force in the new economy of the next 40-50 years. Children in auto worker familys (many of whom expect to grow up and get jobs at Ford or another auto plant) will now have another avenue of opportunity to persue.
3. The Expedition is a really cool vehicle. I was gonna get a Lincoln Navigator, but I dunno, the expedition is a little less expensive, and still comes with the on board LCD screen to play DreamCast, hook up a laptop, etc. :-)
Heh... IPO's rule. Anyone else like SUVs? Ultimate Geek Mobile's...
--Alex
This is a signature virus...
Has anyone else noticed that it's FORD that's setting up this whole scheme? Think about it... put the computers in every one of your employees houses. Rig some gizmo in the video card that flashes subliminal messages to your employees, making them soft and pliable for your oncoming religious disortations. Set up your CEO as the Second Coming of Ford himself, and you have a huge army at your disposal. You take over the imperial senate and eventualy rule the world! Every one's divided up into Alphas, Betas, Gammas and Deltas and coerced from birth to be happy with their everyday lives! NOOOOOOOOOO! I WANT TO BE MELANCHOLY!
(my appologies to Mr. Hugsly)
Computers are tools. They are tools that have the potential to increase productivity, education (and entertainment). However, they are also relatively expensive tools. This fact results in producing a Mathew Effect (the usage stems from the bible- and it basically means that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer). What Ford is doing is potentially self-serving however it also addresses an aspect of societal inequality that is likey to become more important as our reliance on informational technology increases. Not only does this give adults the use of a computer but it also provides a computer for the children in the household to use. Think about that. Perhaps this would be a great experimental population for a matched case-control study. It's a huge sample studying it may yield concrete information on the implications of owning a computer in terms of education, productivity and creativity.
Here's one better: my friend works for a computer company that's giving it's employees *cars*.
http://www.interwoven.com/company/careers/bmwz3
THe majority of the people receiving these PC's will probably be assembly line car mechanics. Do you really think they can figure out Linux/FreeBSD, let alone Micros~1 Windows.
(`._(`._( , , . JimmyPop[nL] . , , )_.)_.)
Oh yeah, baby!
I work for Saturn and it ain't all it's cracked up to be.
Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip. - Homer Simpson
Access is more expensive in low-wage countries because usually they happen to have no real infrastructure, so the cost of being connected to the net is usually large (in absolute dollars!).
Roblimo, a little culture about the rest of the world is not a bad thing...
Zeb
Research Guide to the Palestinian-Israeli Co
WDM is for device drivers. No wonder you don't like Windows. It seems that you never learned how to use it like it seems that you learned Linux. People hate what they don't know. hmmmm...
No wonder why you sent this post in as A.C. Everytime something is ported from Windows to Linux it is announced like a great victory... Windows has its uses but definitly so does Linux.
Ford is having a heck of a time keeping its secrets secret, as disgruntled and/or concerned employees have been sending reams of internal docs and other info to sites like BlueOvalNews.com.
Ford has tried to shut down several such sites through the courts but has failed.
Could part of the reason for their generosity be that this will help them figure out who the inside rats are? Could there be some kind of secret tracking software being installed on these PC's? Will Ford's company-supplied ISP service allow them to find out which employees are communicating with their least favorite sites?
I'd be very careful about going to sites such as BlueOvalNews.com using a Ford-supplied PC and internet connection... even from home.
- Mustang Driver
http://www.foxnews.com/vtech/020400/d elta.sml.
Reportedly, Delta Airlines will announce this afternoon that they're doing the same thing.
There is no 'i' in team, but there is in fiasco...
I say thanks but no thanks to these little perks that companies offer instead of a solid wage and benefit package. Would it kill these profitable companies to simply pay their workers more or give better benefits? Whatever happened to profit sharing, piece work, or productivity bonuses? Now, it seems that most companies just want to give you cheap junk as an incentive to work harder. In conclusion, I say, just give me the money and I will decide how to spend it. ------------------------------------------------
Me a troll, me no gnome, me smash ye head and break ye bones.
REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED!!!!!
Don't you **ever** interchange the word Ford to a reference to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth (not to be confused with Jesus Christ of Pittsburgh.) You are a godless liberal that should probably be put in a camp where you can spend the rest of your days toiling in agony and wishing you hadn't pressed your luck with the God-fearing citizens of this great nation.
Part of that is an image thing -- the stupid Wired wired/tired listings aren't true, but somehow people believe them anyway. Jac Nasser (our CEO) sends out weekly messages signed with the motto "customer-focused and shareholder-driven." You may not like him, but nobody can argue he doesn't live up to that motto. Lately he's been pursuing e-business and the Internet, I think in an attempt to break into some of the high-tech stock over-valuation. Ford has been *very* profitable for a long time now; our stock actually pays dividends! That's not reflected in the stock price though and it's been a major dissapointment. (Very depressing to see the Internet companies -- bleeding money -- have such astronomical PE ratios.) The free computer bit is a nice fringe-benefit for employees and a great way to get into the news. Is it going to revolutionize employee/customer and employee/management relations? Maybe.
I'm not sure about the privacy issues myself. The computers are going to be owned by the employees and used by the employees on our own time -- that's very clear. I think any privacy invasion would make Ford look very bad and would certainly open up major lawsuit potential. Anyways, my machine will be running Linux and talking to my regular ISP so I'm not concerned about *my* privacy.
Lastly, the machines Ford is handing out are pretty nice commodity Wintel PCs. (Um, except for the Win part of course... but that's only temporary. ;) The low-end is a 500MHz Celeron with 64MB of memory and a 15" monitor. The high-end is a 733MHz Pentium-III with 256MB of memory, 19" monitor, CD-RW, and DVD. They haven't published the cost for the upgrades.
I'm also not sure how this will affect the nice Dell discounts we also get. It would be kind of neat to see Dell match HP's prices.
I'm not surprised in the least that this is something Ford would do. For any of you fairly versed in your history, Henry conquered the car industry by giving his employees wages almost double the industry standard, thereby forcing the rest of the industry to raise their prices. (Entirely logical...people making the industry standard couldn't afford to buy his cars. By raising the standard, he also increased his market.)
Well I heard this little tidbit in conjunction with a story on how well the job market is doing (and the low unemployment rate). Apparently companies not only are providing incentives to get new employees (like a BMW), but also incentives to keep the ones they do have.
As they said in the story, now is a good time to make your money.
Article available at: http:// www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/deltaco mputers000204.html
I could not justify my existence if I were a turkey farmer. Would I terminate myself? Undoubtably, yes.
...they may be fiery deathtraps, but they're AMERICAN-MADE fiery deathtraps!!
I'm disappointed once again in the lack of research on slashdot posts.
m l">the UAW/Ford contract agreement</a> back in October; Ford agreed to study it as part of a broader initiative to extend educational services to workers and their families.
s toryid=674">the Ford press release</a>, access will not be through the corporate network but through the ISP PeoplePC via UUNET.
Nowhere was it mentioned in the original post that this was a result of discussions between the United Auto Workers and Ford during their last contract negotiation. As a result, about half the posts here on the topic questioned the company's motives and intentions, even suspecting that the company wanted to track their internet usage, or limit it to approved sites. Neither appears to be the case.
From what I can tell, this probably came out of a discussion that can be summarized, roughly, as:
"We can't pay that much for a non-tech-savvy workforce."
"Well, then, help make that workforce tech-savvy."
In fact, this was specifically mentioned as part of <a href="http://www.uaw.org/contract99/ford/index.ht
According to <a href="http://www.ford.com/default.asp?pageid=106&
Under US income tax laws, the cost of a service provided by the company as a benefit will have to be subtracted from the market value, and the difference taxed the same as income. Enforcement is always difficult with such benefits, though.
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lake effect weblog
{Network engineer in Chicago--looking for work!}