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A Public Funded "Microsoft Shop?"
An anonymous reader writes "I work at a public hospital in the computer / technical department and (amongst others) was recently outraged by an email that was sent around our department: '(XXXX) District Health Board — Information Services is strategically a Microsoft shop and when talking to staff / customers we are to support this strategy. I no longer want to see comments promoting other Operating Systems.' We have also been told to remove Firefox found on anyone's computer unless they have specific authorisation from management to have it installed under special circumstances. Now, I could somewhat understand this if I was working in a company that sold and promoted the use of Microsoft software for financial gain, but I work in the publicly / government funded health system. Several of the IT big-wigs at the DHB are seemingly blindly pro-Microsoft and seem all too quick to shrug off other, perhaps more efficient alternatives. As a taxpayer, I want nothing more than to see our health systems improve and run more efficiently. I am not foolish enough to say all our problems would be solved overnight by changing away from Microsoft's infrastructure, but I am convinced that if we took less than half the money we spend on licensing Microsoft's software alone and invested that in training users for an open source system, we would be far better off in the long run. I would very much like to hear Slashdot's ideas / opinions on this 'Strategic Direction' and the silencing of our technical opinions."
He just wants us to have more sick people so he can heal them with his glowing palms.
>> I would very much like to hear Slashdot's ideas / opinions on this 'Strategic Direction' and the silencing of our technical opinions."
Let see, this is slashdot.
What do we have here:
Bossy overlords
Bossy overlords against Free Software
Bossy overlords against Free Software and Pro Microsoft
Bossy overlords against Free Software, Pro Microsoft, and wasting public funds
Bossy overlords against Free Software, Pro Microsoft, and wasting public funds
The underdog who wants to challenge the Bossy overlords against Free Software, Pro Microsoft, and wasting public funds
The underdog who wants to challenge the Bossy overlords against Free Software, Pro Microsoft, and wasting public funds, and censoring the underdog
Multiple choice opinions:
1. "Just do your job!"
2. "We hate Microsoft!"
3. "You da Man!"
4. "Profit!"
It seems to me that all you're really looking for here on ./ is validation of your own opinion.
This is the sole purpose of "Ask Slashdot".
Taliban vs Amish
FIGHT!
Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
Are you saying that this linux can run on a computer without windows underneath it, at all ? As in, without a boot disk, without any drivers, and without any services ? That sounds preposterous to me. If it were true (and I doubt it), then companies would be selling computers without a windows. This clearly is not happening, so there must be some error in your calculations. I hope you realise that windows is more than just Office ? Its a whole system that runs the computer from start to finish, and that is a very difficult thing to acheive. A lot of people dont realise this. Microsoft just spent $9 billion and many years to create Vista, so it does not sound reasonable that some new alternative could just snap into existence overnight like that. It would take billions of dollars and a massive effort to achieve. IBM tried, and spent a huge amount of money developing OS/2 but could never keep up with Windows. Apple tried to create their own system for years, but finally gave up recently and moved to Intel and Microsoft. Its just not possible that a freeware like the Linux could be extended to the point where it runs the entire computer fron start to finish, without using some of the more critical parts of windows. Not possible. I think you need to re-examine your assumptions.
Yes, viruses and rootkits need standardization to thrive. Keep up the good work!
When you get a knife wound or get hit by a car, ask the ambulance to take you to ANOTHER hospital. That'll show 'em!
A try to moan "Linux" through the pain, although I wouldn't try to moan "Open Source" because medics think you're saying "Open Sores" and will move you around looking for missing bandages.
The first 8 years of my life were spend as a CAD systems admin (Unix systems).
Child labor!
There's a massive difference between saying that you're only offering support for a single browser and FORCIBLY REMOVING any other browsers found on a user's computer. I'd have less of an issue with this if the hospital's IT department had said "Here's the list of applications/OSes we support, anything else you have to fix yourself" and proceeded to list only MS products. But to persecute anyone who chooses an alternative crosses the line in a big way.
Taliban vs Amish
FIGHT!
Taliban (waving scimitar or AK-47): Infidel! Die!
Amish (holding 18th century musket): Brother, I would not hurt thee. But thou art standing where I am about to shoot.
I am anarch of all I survey.