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US Army Signs $471,000,000 Deal for Microsoft Software
zero_offset writes "According to this article at Yahoo, Microsoft will provide software for 494,000 Army computers during the next six years. At roughly $950 per computer this clearly involves more than just the OS, although the article unfortunately doesn't provide details, and I was unable to find any references to this on the Microsoft website." The great things about this deal: the Army is going through a reseller, when clearly they have the purchasing power to buy direct; and most of the computers they purchase are normal consumer machines which will be purchased with Windows and Office already installed, so the Army will be paying twice for each machine.
US Army Signs $471,000,000 Deal for Microsoft Software
And if the US was a country that didn't pander to corperate intrests, the headline would read,
"US Army Signs $0 Deal for Linux Software"
http://use.perl.org
So now, "being all that you can be" includes being frustrated and riddled with crashes? Oh, wait, that's the old slogan. Won't someone please think of our TROOPS???!?!
everything in moderation
Insert $1000 toilet seat joke here-->
My old sig was REALLY stoopid.
Commander: We need to go into battle now!
Officer: We first need to access our plans, but Word froze up with "reactivate your software now"
Commander: Oh great. What can we do?
Officer: Nothing. Congress passed a bill allowing copyright holders to seek injunctions against the army for violating the DMCA. We have to reactivate.
Commander: But the enemy is jamming our cell phone signals!
Officer: I guess we have to surrender.
$471,000,000 dollars? That's like SIXTEEN hammers!
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
I was thinking, "Wow! Bill finally sold!"
And then, "Hmmm. They'll probably be enforcing those EULAs with an SKS muzzle in your mouth, now."
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
" Keith Hodson, a Microsoft spokesman, said the contract could help the Army reduce its costs and "validates the Army's belief in our security model.""
I guess the Iraqi information minister's initials being M.S. isn't a coincidence then - he appears to work for them
We don't need no stinking computers! All of our equipment is 60's vintage with add-on computers. So when the ECM hits, they can just revert to manual operation.
---
Does anyone think that there should be a greater reason to post stories here than as an opportunity for 300 comments dissing MS?
Yes. Bitching about SCO.
http://use.perl.org
They want all their recruits to train on the best computer simulation available to the government today.
Just wait until while in the middle of cordinating an attack, they recieve a windows messanger popup for increased penis size.
Priceless!
http://use.perl.org
"B S O D in the Army~~~"
Sorry, someone had to. (yeah, the syllables don't match up...)
Human nature is the same everywhere; the modes only are different. -- Earl of Chesterfield
"what, you think they really paid $700 for a hammer?"--judd hirsh, independence day.
Let's leave the hooker budget out of the discussion.
I guess there's an Ada# around the corner, now that M$ has a foot in the army. C# meets Schwarzkopf... surely a macho language!
...reboot per day. At least the rifles aren't running Windows yet.
In related news, the US has dropped millions of computers off to terrorist hot-spots.
Military Analyists estimate Bin Laden will be bankrupted by the additional fees within 3 years.
puts ("Python r0cks\n");
Well, that's great. (1) Government requires purchased OS's to adhere to new set of standards called POSIX. (2) UNIX vendors jump through hoops for a decade or more to develop and meet the standards. (3) Government buys MS instead.
For that kind of money, they could have bought a new G5!
Does that include Age of Empires?
New and improved with Afghanistan and Iraq expansion packs.
to get a bit of a discount...
Anything that reduces the US Military's finances, stability and general flexibility/readiness without actually spilling blood can only be good.
kartune85 : Incapable of reason, observation or learning. A kind of dim, drab, flightless parrot.
Watch this Heartland Institute video
ahh but think of it.. all thoes M$ foriengers will be getting US taxpayers dollars.
there forieng govermetns will tax the M$ employees and thoes tax dollars will go towards terrorist ^h^h^h^h^h^h freedom fighters.
then the US will spent more taxpayer dollars bombing said freedom fighters ^h^h^h^h^h terrorists.
SOOOOO... the point of this rant, is that the US Army is in reality just re-investing in itself
The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
I'm really impressed. Microsoft must really have it on the ball. An organization known to pay $800 for a hammer chose Microsoft as their software vendor.
So what if you have to call a tow truck every once in a while..
Speak before you think
Yeah, only those of us who have jobs and don't live in our parents' basement use Windows.
I think the R&D has pretty much been covered for toilet seats by now.
-j
Work.
Wife.
Unslanted = |. .|.
Unslanted and balanced =
Neutrality is nothing but Gentalia.
2*31*37*263
Christ, not everything is a corporate-pandering conspiracy theory.
Or is that what they want us to beileve.
http://use.perl.org
Side comment: the poster writes, "At roughly $950 per computer this clearly involves more than just the OS."
Not necessarily. These are the same people who in the past have paid thousands of dollars for hand tools and coffee makers.
You've got to be kidding me! Using IE for pr0n is shooting yourself in the foot!
Mozilla has popup blocking, tabbed browsing, and most important of all: mouse gesture controls. That's right, you can do everything one-handed
Do you think the US Army's desktops are much different than any other corporate environment? They aren't. They use the de facto standard, which is MS (Windows/Office).
Don't try to give *me* that crap. I've been to the movies and I know the government has *much* cooler stuff, with all kinds of fancy animation and *huge* fonts and awesome sound effects.
Microsoft Windows... yeah, right!
What a loser.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Then the only viable solution for a large portion of Slashdotters would be to...pirate the English language!
Arrrgghh!!!
-phish
Personally, I can accept nothing less than having my nation's army be in full software licensing compliance while it bombs, invades and occupies other countries. It's the law!
-
I think you're some kind of deviated prevert. I think General Ripper found out about your preversion, and that you were organizing some kind of mutiny of preverts.
They should have bought 494,000 $900 hammers. At least they would have something useful to show for it. And what do you want to bet some of the $471,000,000 ends up in the Bush Re-Election Campaign's coffers?