[Leaplist] US DoT bans Vista, Office 2007, IE7 upgrades

[ray]

William Warren wrote:
> DOD has also restricted IE7, vista and office 2k7.
>
> Ray Brunkow wrote:
>> http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197700789   
>>  
>> March 2, 2007 12:00 PM
>>
>> Citing concerns over cost and compatibility, the top technology 
>> official at the federal Department of Transportation has placed a 
>> moratorium on all in-house computer upgrades to Microsoft's new 
>> Windows Vista operating system, as well as Internet Explorer 7 and 
>> Office 2007, according to a memo obtained Friday by /InformationWeek/.
>>
>> In a memo to his staff, the DOT's CIO Daniel Mintz says he has placed 
>> "an indefinite moratorium" on the upgrades as "there appears to be no 
>> compelling technical or business case for upgrading to these new 
>> Microsoft software products. Furthermore, there appears to be 
>> specific reasons not to upgrade."
>>
>> Among the concerns cited by Mintz are compatibility with software 
>> applications currently in use at the department, the cost of an 
>> upgrade, and DOT's move to a new headquarters in Washington later 
>> this year. "Microsoft Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer [7] 
>> may be acquired for testing purposes only, though only on approval by 
>> the DOT chief information officer," Mintz writes.
>>
>> The memo is dated Jan. 19. In an interview Friday, DOT chief 
>> technology officer Tim Schmidt confirmed that the ban is still in 
>> effect. "We're analyzing different client software options and also 
>> integration issues," says Schmidt. Among the options the 
>> Transportation Department is weighing as a possible alternative or 
>> complement to Windows Vista are Novell's Suse Linux and, for a 
>> limited group of users, Apple's Macintosh hardware and software, he 
>> says.
>>
>> Schmidt says the Transportation Department hasn't ruled out upgrading 
>> its computers to Windows Vista if all of its concerns about the new 
>> operating system -- the business version of which was launched late 
>> last year 
>> <http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197001449> 
>> -- can be resolved. "We have more confidence in Microsoft than we 
>> would have 10 years ago," says Schmidt. "But it always makes sense to 
>> look at the security implications, the value back to the customer, 
>> and those kind of issues."
>>
>> The DOT's ban on Vista, Internet Explorer 7, and Office 2007 applies 
>> to 15,000 computer users at DOT proper who are currently running the 
>> Windows XP Professional operating system. The memo indicates that a 
>> similar ban is in effect at the Federal Aviation Administration, 
>> which has 45,000 desktop users.
>>
>> Compatibility with existing applications appears to be the 
>> Transportation Department's major concern. According to a separate 
>> memo, a number of key software applications and utilities in use in 
>> various branches of the department aren't Vista compatible 
>> <http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197008462>. 
>> Among them are Aspen 2.8.1, ISS 2.11, ProVu 3.1.1, and Capri 6.5, 
>> according to a memo issued by staffers at the DOT's Federal Motor 
>> Carrier Safety Administration.
>>
>> Any prolonged ban on new Microsoft technologies by the federal 
>> government could have a significant impact on the software maker's 
>> bottom line, as Microsoft sells millions of dollars in software to 
>> the feds annually.
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Raymond L. Brunkow
>> 5th Degree Black Belt
>> Chief Instructor and Owner
>> Sun State Martial Arts
>> 407-786-2525
>> http://www.SunStateMartialArts.com
>>
>>
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>
link?

-- 
Raymond L. Brunkow
5th Degree Black Belt
Chief Instructor & Owner
Sun State Martial Arts
407-786-2525
http://www.SunStateMartialArts.us