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Air Force Orders Up A Custom Windows Monoculture

Posted by timothy on from the custom-7-percent-solution dept.

Soulfader writes "It seems that the Air Force has not learned from the Navy's folly in single-source mammoth contracts and their attendant problems, and is now working on something similar with Dell and Microsoft. Particularly interesting is the article's assertion that the Air Force is 'fed up' with Microsoft OS problems--but not enough to switch to something else. Instead, they're going to be getting a custom 'solution' of Windows products specially configured for their use. Is this the ever-hoped-for 'good' version of Windows, or more along the line of the sucks-in-new-and-interesting-ways version of Highlander II?"

10 of 541 comments (clear)

  1. This is the Government.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hey, contractors.... I have a job that needs to be done.

    I also have $1,000,000,000 to throw at the problem. Any contractors that have the ability to accept and be responsible for receiving a pre-payment, please step forward.

    Sorry, only top tier contractors will be accepted.
    Oh, Sorry again. Because of a new requirement added by Congress, only the largest company in this industry will be allowed to submit a bid. And only one bid will be accepted. We don't have time to evaluate other solutions.

  2. Good to see some honesty in government by Nine+Tenths+of+The+W · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm glad Microsoft are getting the full value of their PAC contributions, I'd hate to think our government was dishonest

    --
    Slashdot: News for Nerds, Stuff that matters only to them
  3. To you naysayers by mordors9 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Go back and reread it.... this is a custom "solution". You just can't go wrong with one of those.

  4. Yes, it's the new verion of Windows That Doesn't.. by AugstWest · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Suck, and it's brought to you by the new Halliburton That Doesn't Screw America.

    Thanks for playing.

  5. Sorry. =) by Soulfader · · Score: 4, Funny

    Guess you should have made fun of Highlander II. =)

  6. Highlander II? There was no Highlander II by voisine · · Score: 4, Funny

    Highlander II? What are you talking about? There was no Highlander II. Even the writer and director of Highlander III admited there was never a Highlander II.

  7. Re:Poor Highlander II by Coryoth · · Score: 4, Funny

    Man, I didn't like Highlander 2 as much as the next guy, but the article summary was kick in the nuts out of nowhere. Isn't there a statute of limitations on crappy movies? Does a time ever come when we can forgive them?

    There is no reason to forgive it. I am quite positive they never made any sequels to Highlander.

    Please don't ruin my carefully crafted delusions.

    Jedidiah.

    --
    Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
  8. uh ya by tacokill · · Score: 4, Funny

    uhh, yea it is for lack of trying. Who the hell in their right mind would want to show up on THIER radar?

    :-)

  9. automated updates??? by lkcl · · Score: 4, Funny

    AUTOMATED UPDATES???????

    *gibber*. the US military is happy for _microsoft_ to push automated updates onto 500,000 windows desktops???

    what did i miss. is there something i haven't quite understood?

  10. The US Navy has a great saying... by Nick+Driver · · Score: 4, Funny

    "There are a lot more airplanes at the bottom of the ocean than there are submarines in the sky"