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Microsoft Sinks Teeth Into New Orleans

Posted by timothy on from the city-stinks-bad-enough-already dept.

An anonymous reader writes: "The New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting that Mayor Nagin is considering letting Microsoft upgrade the city's computers free of charge. The catch? New Orleans eventually has to buy the software and Microsoft gets to use the city as a marketing model to push this on the rest of the country." According to the article, a similar system Microsoft developed for Oklahoma "is expected to expand into accident reporting, video arraignment and automated pawn-shop-ticket tracking." So don't worry about privacy -- it's all taken care of. Open bidding's taken care of too: "Because these services are considered a gift, the city won't have to publicly bid the project." Sounds like dirty pool to me.

5 of 366 comments (clear)

  1. Learn how to r-e-a-d... by GiorgioG · · Score: 2, Informative

    "Eventually, he added, the city will have to purchase software from the company, but he said it would be a "minuscule" expense."

    It doesn't say they will have to purchase THE software from Microsoft, only that they will have to eventually buy software from Microsoft. Granted, it isn't very specific, but get your shit straight.

  2. Re:does it make a difference if it is a gift? by gilroy · · Score: 3, Informative
    Blockquoth the poster:

    I was under the impression that government agencies had fairly strict rules regarding the acceptance of gifts from companies that they do business with or plan on doing business.


    Actually, it's a conceptual loophole. Gifts to individual civil servants are banned. Gifts to the agency as a whole usually are not -- it's considered the act of a public benefactor. Hah!
    --
    The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
  3. Re:TROLL alert by Verizon+Guy · · Score: 3, Informative

    No, he's right it did say some.

    From the article:

    "Eventually, he added, the city will have to purchase software from the company, but he said it would be a "minuscule" expense."

    It never said "THE" software; the slashdot story is misleading... what a surprise.

    --

    Aw, fuck it. Let's go bowling. - The Big Lebowski

  4. Re:Hypocritical? by bharlan · · Score: 2, Informative

    Redhat has not been convicted of violating
    the Sherman Antitrust Act.

    --
    (Reality reasserts itself sooner or later.)
  5. Re:Do you have a link? by RennieScum · · Score: 3, Informative


    http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=index&cid= 37 8

    One of the local TV stations puts up content on a Yahoo channel, link above. Lots of reading about the Nagin administration's raiding of city hall and all that fun stuff that's been going on here lately as part of the cleanup campaign.

    I'm sure Nagin is getting death threats from many different sources, he's arrested half of city hall by now.

    <flame><offtopic>
    The TP (Times Picayune) is a fine example of the how to not use technology for content. All the newspapers in the area use local "new media" companies to publish their internet content for them. They do a piss poor job. </offtopic></flame>

    --
    ...Time is the best teacher, unfortunately it kills all of its students.