U.S. Army Warns Microsoft To Back Off 635
declan writes "My CNET News colleague Ina Fried has written an interesting article today about how the U.S. Army has told Microsoft to stop sending free CD-ROMs of Office 2003 to government employees. In what's effectively a cease and desist order, the Army said: 'Your offer of free software places our employees and soldiers in jeopardy of unknowingly committing a violation of the ethics rules and regulations to which they have taken an oath to uphold.' Whoops! Perhaps this is Microsoft's latest way to fight free software at the Pentagon. Remember that just 8 months ago, the Army paid $471 million for Microsoft licenses."
Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yep... I'm in the navy and this new item hit the streets last week (I considered submitting it as a story--oh well). We had guys and civilian contractors in our building getting free copies of office. My hate for ms reached a new high--talking about caught red-handed trying to plant seeds that will secure them--argh.
Separately, as a member of the military and despiser of the pitiful quality of ms products, I've always been strongly concerned about the military's use of ms products. The military, like many parts of the government, subcontract-out most tech work and implementation. The contractors, with sealed pay rates and support plans, have no problem deploying huge ms flagships at given branch or sub branch of the military (and then forwarding all the licensing bill to uncle sam). In other words, the root concern is that senior military folks that make the money decisions, need to get the job done but don't have a technical background (ie, to them, linux, microsoft, a server, source code, hacking, and TCP/IP are all one and the same). The contractors drum up offers, the military takes one, and--wham--the US gov't is now shelling out to ms in huge numbers and there's no one who looks at and says, 'is this the best way we could be doing it?'
If you've been around the government, you know what I mean about how scary the contractors are in terms of quality and knowledge when it comes to industrial back-end technologies. I'm on shore tour now, but when I was on my sub, you'd see these people doing a software install by blindly reading out of a SPAWAR procedure. I'd ask them stuff as they went along to gain knowledge and tips, but I usually got back a sheepish "I'm not sure". Grr...
Andy
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Interesting)
I work at a SPAWAR Systems Center and it was my understanding that the Navy bought a 'Select' license from Microsoft. So we have been passing around Windows 2000/Office/Visual Studio CDs and just calling up Microsoft licensing to get keys.
So Im not sure why its a big deal if MS is sending free CDs to the army, I imagine that they have a similar licensing arrangement as we (navy) do.
As for contractors, my experience has been that they might use windows platforms, but they roll out their own proprietary solutions (like web services, etc.) to lock the navy into hiring them for maintenance contracts. Things that MS has a solution for (dot net for example) may do the job but contractors won't touch it, they offer their own homegrown solutions. Not to say that dot net is great (it isnt) but I think contractors are even worse than Microsoft.
Unfortunately their is a huge bias towards outsourcing everything to contractors and not trust government workers (I'm a civilian federal employee) to do the job. Most of the money that goes through the center just goes out to the contractors, which I think is a huge mistake. The contractors keep all the technology closed, don't tell us anything useful on how to modify their systems, and expect just fat checks.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Informative)
With very few exceptions, we buy nothing but Windows and Intel for PC aquisitons, since woefully few of the senior engineers and scientists (who really dont deserve those titles anymore) know any different. Since it is so hard to fire a govie, the govt. is bloated with people who haven't meaningfully increased their techincal skillset since they graduated from college in the 70s.
SPAWAR, at least, recognizes their problem and a few people with a clue are trying to change things. They are trying to clear out some of the good-old-boy cruft and the stagnant dead weight. Some of the fresh-outta-school new professionals (myself included) are trying to exert what little influence we have to push for some alternative platforms and architectures in the work place. I have a few linux boxes up for internal uses and am working on a mosix cluster, among other things. Not much, but I guess its a start, and the bigwigs are starting to take notice.
We joke that if some monster new windows worm went tearing through the network we would be the only ones with functioning computers. Unfortunately, its probably not so far from the truth.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
There is something seriously disturbing about your post. Plese re-read it and explain how it is a good deal..
I read it as 'we were forced to upgrade our software at a co$t or the vendor will sick the lawyers onto us.. but it's a good thing... really... really it is..'
That to me sums up how they manipulate the customer to get their way...
It must stop.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Interesting)
At the time the VPs insisted on bringing in hired guns to sanity check what I was doing. Heck, I didn't mind. Besides, all they knew was Cisco and exchange. I pretty much had to write their report on how linux operates as an email server, a firewall, and a web server. (Not that organizations hadn't been using Linux for years at that point.) Heck, I even ended up doing most of the legwork for the audits.
Needless to say, after that experience I have found that contractors are at best a sounding board. You sure as hell better have an idea of what you want before you call them.
Unfortunately most people don't have a clue.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Informative)
As the deployment is progress they are finding that people do more then send email and write word documents and they have to leave some of the existing infrastructure intact and many have two desktop machines - the nmci email kiosk and the other machine where work gets done. This neither lower costs or inceases security - both goals of the contract.
Also if they are successful the Navy will be a sitting duck with a monoculture IT infrastructure and a successful exploit will be able to cripple it in short order.
The NMCI contract is the largest IT contract ever and you hear scant little about it in the press. I sure hope some watchdog group or even the GAO start monitoring the progress of this contract.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Interesting)
It has also killed a lot of small businesses that used to supply technology and office materials to Navy bases. For office supply and technology purchases, there are strong incentives to buy locally, even if it costs more (which sounds bad, but has a VERY good reason). With EDS doing it all, (some) local economies around these bases have been tanking.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
If any of the Armed Forces are locked into one platform (be it Microsoft or Linux or...) it will open a wide hole for any cracker employed by the opposing governments. The homogeneity will ensure that something that takes one computer will take them all.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I advocate Linux every chance I get. I recently convinced the command I work for to purchase several copies of Redhat Enterprise Linux for our perimeter services (proxy, web, etc.). It was a fight though. They just could not get M$ out of their heads. They simply could not understand that there are alternatives out there. In their world, all web servers are IIS, all email servers are Exchange, all PCs are Windows.
It wasn't until I told them that our perimeter services have been running on Linux for two years (regular Redhat) that they began to come around. I explained the EOL situation with Redhat Linux and that the most logical choice would be to move to RHEL since our AOSAs (Another OS Administrators) are already familiar with Redhat (ok... that's a stretch).
They still weren't completely convinced until I detailed the security track records of IIS and Apache. They understood the significance, but weren't completely sold until I showed them a message detailing a group of recent defacements of Navy and Air Force IIS servers in our region (overseas). Then I showed them the Linux/Apache front-end proxy for our beloved Outlook Web Access server and how it would be nearly impossible to exploit many of the IIS vuls through it. Done and done.
Sad.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, what the hell is in ms office that the previous version didn't have that's of huge value? What more "essential" things can be added to a word processor? At the end of the day, bells an whistles don't make content. Call me when ms puts out a version of Office that makes content.
Andy
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
What kind of karma would you like?
1) Insightful
2) Overrated
3) Troll
Ehh you get the idea.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Funny)
Except, this involves the US Army. So in this case, Clippy pops up and asks,
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
What more "essential" things can be added to a word processor?
Weapon Control
The president will be able use Outlook to send a Word Document with a macro to all missile silo's and subs. Upon receipt Outlook will open Word and execute the macro and launch the missiles. This system will be so much cheaper than and less personel intensive than the current system.
V14GR4 wi11 14UNCH y0ur b1g P3N15.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Informative)
Our business relies on being able to transfer documents to and from our clients. Occasionally we have a problem with having an old version. It tends to be when someone has embedded some ActiveX thing that we didn't have. It is so rare that this happens that nobody ever suggests that we should upgrade.
One of our satellite offices upgraded to Office 2000 (without permission) to fix a perceived problem that they had when opening files sent from outside the company. We didn't know about this until a long time afterwards. In the meantime, we transfered documents backwards and forwards between the offices and never had a hitch.
On the other hand, occasionally we have our own documents get corrupt and crash Word as soon as they are opened or printed. In those cases, I fire up OpenOffice and resave them in that. Works every time. Sometimes having a different suite can get around the bugs in the old 97 code.
Eventually we will upgrade. When we do, I am hoping that it will be to OpenOffice. There are a few things that still need to be fixed in OpenOffice before we can use it, some of which is to do with file compatibility with the Microsoft format. I am hoping that I can convince management here that it would be in our interest if we got the source and help make the changes that we require. They are actually quite eager to use Open Source stuff that I think that they will get the concept of giving back to the community.
It is still cheaper than upgrading all our Microsoft products.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Informative)
But, he said, they were supposed to make sure it didn't work 100% of the time. If users of older versions couldn't read your documents maybe 1% of the time, you'd chalk it up to "inevitable" software problems (which you'd assume were normal and unavoidable, since you were a Microsoft user) rather than a deliberate attempt to get you to upgrade. Eventually you were supposed to get tired, and just give up and upgrade.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Informative)
Either you're lying, or the person you claim to know is lying.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
Why the heck do they need to burn CD's in the cockpit? Shouldn't they be focusing on flying the damn plane?!
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe they heard about Excel's easter egg.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Funny)
Ummm.. yeah. (Score:5, Insightful)
Most pilots are bright folks, they just stumble when confronted with an area where they have no background or training (like anyone). If you're starting from scratch, Linux is just as intuitive as anything manufactured by microsoft.
Incidently, the Air Force has plenty of tech-saavy people, often in the form of reservists. I've had systems guys in deployed locations who were company-grade officers... but senior software engineers at major corporations, often using linux on-the-job. Many of them hated our reliance on MS products, and looked for ways to use more-functional things every chance they got. Good grief... our NT servers in Saudi Arabia had to be rebooted monthly or they'd simply cease to function (don't even get me started on service packs).
MS is not the way... it is a way, and that's all you can say. Pilots are more than swift enough to use linux if you gave them a little training.
Re:Ummm.. yeah. (Score:5, Funny)
It's true, they do. Here's one. [defenselink.mil]
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Interesting)
Maybe this just means Outlook is a shitty choice for an email client? I'm sure officers used a nice textmode client for their electronic communications in the days before desktop PCs and GUIs. Why wouldn't something like pine be just as appropriate now?
Outlook is grim (Score:4, Funny)
Actually happened again, 20 minutes ago (over the phone). But this time, just for the heck of it, I also recommended Eudora -- choice is good.
When they try Thunderbird out for a day or so, they never go back. If their Outlook problem mysteriously fixes itself, within a day, they go back.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
How is that any better than, say, a custom US Air Force version of Linux that has a shortcut on the desktop to a CD burning application or script?
If you were arguing that Linux wouldn't work on the home desktop, where the users have no sysadmin to fix things, or no tech support person to direct questions to, you would be right that Linux would be too much. However, business and government have both of those resources (usually) and are not an issue. Using Linux isn't a whole lot different from Windows when a competent admin has set up the desktop to meet the needs of the intended audience.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:5, Insightful)
The clueless users having problems with the application layer are so far separated from the OS as to make it completely irrelevant to them. By giving them a system that they can't accidentally screw up (they're users, not administrators, right?) by downloading the virus-of-the-week or installing the spyware of the day, you reduce their opportunities to screw up the system.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Interesting)
We have pilots who are in charge of a 320 million dollar airframe but can't figure out Outlook. We just got E-Pubs and with it pages of documentation on how to burn a CD using WinXP.
I'm sorry, I'm confused. You say that MS is best, but then you cite how difficult it is for your users to get anything done with two apps, which are both made by MS. You don't relate any experiences with non-MS apps to compare.
It sounds like your documentation and training suck, not so much your software. Even so, in my personal experience Outlook is a lot harder to use than many other mail clients, and burning CDs is really not that hard (for me, or the high-school dropouts I used to supervise at Kinko's). But your anecdote fails to support your initial proposition completely.
Re:Yep, it's happening in the Navy, too.... (Score:4, Interesting)
Do you have an evidence to back up that claim? Any studies? Documents? Or are you just making up crap as you go?"
If you need a study to see my point here, you are an idiot. Many, MANY more servicemen will have experience with Windows at home, school, or work than will have experience with Linux. You could sit them in front of an NT server, hand them a quick reference card or even just the help files provided with windows and they can be functional. The extra downtime with reboots and blue screens(which are incredibly rare with 2k and XP) can be more than made up for by leveraging soldiers prior computer experience.
" "Sir, the guy we pulled in after the 6 shop got bombed is saying 'what the fuck is this %> stuff all about?'"
I guess there is no such think as a GUI under Linux? I take it you cannot write GUI apps for Linux? All taks need to be done from a terminal? You are very "Insightful" aren't you?"
Not all tasks need to be done from the terminal. But there are enough that do that someone who has only used Windows will have trouble. Linux GUIs are simply not even close to those in Windows for administering the entire system. Even with Mandrake I can't avoid the command line completely even if I wanted to. And even when I can, its not nearly as intuitive as Windows.
Remember, this is a world where you can't do the corporate thing and send someone away for training or hire a new admin. There isn't time for that when the lead is flying. This is a world where you may have to replace your team of trained administrators because they just got killed, and you need them replaced immediately or more people will die. You need to be able to leverage peoples prior experience to pull it off, and that experience will almost certainly be in Windows products.
thats all well and good... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:thats all well and good... (Score:5, Informative)
It would be better if... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:thats all well and good... (Score:5, Funny)
"In other news, Bill Gates was found hiding in a spider hole outside of Orem, Utah this afternoon..."
I got one! (Score:5, Interesting)
And you know what, there's a reason for it. Others where I work got copies as well, and they are already pushing for us to get an Exchange server. There are many features in the new "Office System" that require server support. When you try to use a feature that requires support on the server, a message pops up about how you need to contact your systems administrator to find out how to enable this great new feature.
Re:I got one! (Score:5, Insightful)
Totally agree.. it's all just a conspiracy to get Outlook into as many computers as possible. They know that the main battle is being fought over the groupware. Whoever controls the groupware of an organization will have a big influence on the rest of the software installed.
For anyone who doesn't beleive me, just try migrating Exchange server / Outlook to anything else, and you'll realize the depth of the insidiousness of microsoft mailing out copies of Outlook. They are miring IT department with otherwise good intentions.
Also insidious... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is why I turned to *nux and never looked back.
This is the solution we need! (Score:5, Funny)
Dear Microsoft (and Bill Gates), (Score:5, Funny)
Office XP, Visual Studio
you sell? I would like a copy of all of them. You
know my address.
Thank you,
Anonymous Coward
This is great.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Army: Were you just trying to bribe an army official?
Microsoft: Uhh, no..that must have been mine!
lol, thanks slashdot. I needed a chuckle.
Its actually interesting to read this, I just assumed that things like these happen all the time. Its nice to see safegaurds such as this in place AND functioning.
["The department, which oversees national parks and other federal lands, concluded last month that the software constituted an unacceptable gift--one valued at more than $20 and from a party with whom the department does business or whom it regulates."]
The article goes on to mention how many govt are looking into open source
Re:This is great.... (Score:4, Funny)
Army official also noted... (Score:5, Funny)
Can I be the first one to state the obvious? (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft: What if we don't?
Army: We'll make you
Microsoft: You and what army?
Army: . .
Microsoft: Oh.
Re:Can I be the first one to state the obvious? (Score:5, Funny)
U.S. Army Warns Microsoft To Back Off; Microsoft Masses Troops on Border, Threatens Missile Strikes
Why hasn't this happened before? (Score:5, Interesting)
And unlike a certain company *I* don't have a criminal conviction, a record of giving things that could hurt national security to the Chinese (Windows source code) or a past history of underhand payments to subvert the political process!
Where is the justice in that?
That's a Mitnick idea (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if he realizes how many businesses have locked down their desktops with Group Policy settings.
donate to schools (Score:3, Informative)
The first bag is free. (Score:5, Insightful)
I bet the kiddies would love a free bag of herion or crack, too. But does that mean you should donate one?
Let's not get another generation hooked on Windows.
Re:donate to schools (Score:5, Insightful)
Military Computers (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Military Computers (Score:4, Informative)
The World evolves around Office, pass it on. (Score:4, Interesting)
HUGE NO-NO (Score:5, Interesting)
Send back at *huge* MS expense (Score:5, Funny)
"Government Entities: Microsoft intends that this product be used in accordance with applicable laws and regulations for the evaluation, use and benefit of your government agency only," Microsoft states in the note. "You may, at your discretion, return this product package to Microsoft at its expense."
Okay, sending back at Microsoft's expense is easy. Just send it via UPS SonicAir [ups.com] same-day service. Doing a quick quote, from Texas (for example) back to Redmond would cost at least $264.94. Also, be sure to send it in the evening so that nighttime charges apply, and from obscure locations so the extended mileage also figures into the cost. If you do it right, you could get it up into the thousands depending on location (overseas stations?) and time of day. If there aren't any commercial flights, you can have UPS charter a plane just for your CD. Oh, and send each CD back separately for maximum effect.
When you absolutely, positively, have to stick it to Microsoft.
Re:Send back at *huge* MS expense (Score:5, Funny)
I live in a major metropolitan area in California and got a quote of $2900 for pickup in 30 minutes. I work for the government and SOOOO wish I had one of these CDs right now.
I wonder what that phone call from Redmond would be like...
Re:HUGE NO-NO (Score:4, Informative)
I've worked as a contractor to the USAF and it's the same for contractors as it is for the military: no gift over $10.00 in retail value may be accepted as a gift from a vendor. Things like mouse pads, coffee cups, items that would be considered swag at a trade show, etc. If it's over $10.00, then you have to politely return the item and notify your manager/commanding officer. What Microsoft is doing is considered to be an attempt at BRIBING a government official/representative. They've been working with the government and military long enough to know this. It sounds like Microsoft still thinks the rules don't apply to them.
Military Guy here (Score:5, Interesting)
OpenOffice? (Score:5, Interesting)
Wonder what would happen if we all sent OpenOffice.org CD-ROMS [openoffice.org] to not only the Army, but to other government agencies? Seems like a fantastic marketing idea to me, and I dont think (?) that employees would be breaking ethics rules, since it is free software.
Free MS vs Free Linux (Score:3, Interesting)
Most of us here would choose Linux any day not because of the price, but the freedom and security. But how would the mass consumers think of it?
With MS's cash reserve, they could very soon use such tactics, like they have a cheaper version of Windows for pirate-infested countries.
The "free drugs" model... (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft's trying to make sure every government employee runs Microsoft at home so that the government can't risk losing compatibility with everybody's home systems. Of course, the fact that giving something worth $500 to government employees is considered a "bribe" is something Microsoft doesn't care about, since when did laws get in the way of their operations?
They can destroy them themselves! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They can destroy them themselves! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They can destroy them themselves! (Score:4, Funny)
meanwhile in bill gates office (Score:5, Funny)
Ballmer: I think there was something in a college course, but I'm not sure.
Bill: hmm, See if you can buy this ethics things, so we can get back to telling the government what to do.
Are they writing off the cost? (Score:5, Insightful)
This problem is not government wide. (Score:5, Informative)
This is bribery, pure and simple (Score:5, Insightful)
So if Microsoft true intention was to familiarize large customers with new features, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to send them:
a) a self-running slideshow/video showing demonstrations of the new features (a la Video Professor, autoplay and go)
b) the aformentioned 90-day trial edition so they could install and see how well it works and then turn around and requisition it if they find a reason to keep it
c) MSDN or other licensed version that has no restrictions but the EULA clearly states the copy is not legit and cannot be used for actual business (development and testing only)
Somehow I don't think that's what Microsoft is doing. What they are doing is handing out free license keys to what retails for $499+. That means whoever happend to open the colonel's mail could just slip the key in his or her pocket and take it home with them, register it on their home system and enjoy a free copy of an outragously priced package. I mean, if everyone gets a free copy for personal use, stands to reason when requisition time comes around, people will suggest Office 2003 like they have at home.
This is bribery. Just because they call it marketting doesn't make it any less unethical. Otherwise, why can't GM just hand over the keys to their new SUV so that people can become "more familiar with our new features"? A legit Microsoft license (the actual hologrammed piece of paper with the key on it) is just as tangible and valuable as any other real-world freebie.
-JoeShmoe
.
Historical Precedent (Score:5, Insightful)
DoD rules on Gifts (Score:5, Informative)
1. General rule against gifts. DoD employees are generally prohibited from accepting gifts that are from a "prohibited source" or that are offered "because of the employee's official position." [5 CFR 2635.202(a)]
2. Definitions. The definition of "prohibited source" includes companies and organizations that do business or seek to do business with DoD. [5 CFR 2635.203(d)] A gift is offered "because of the employee's official position" if it is offered because of the status, authority or duties associated with the employee's Federal position. [5 CFR 2635.203(e)] "Market value means the retail cost the employee would incur to purchase the gift. An employee who cannot ascertain the market value of a gift may estimate its market value by reference to the retail cost of similar items of like quality." [5 CFR 2635.203(c)]
3. Exceptions. There are about 30 exceptions to the general rule against gifts. One exception, which is called the $20 / $50 rule, provides that an employee may accept gifts of up to $20 in market value per source per occasion, so long as the total market value of the gifts received (under this rule) from one source does not exceed $50 in a calendar year. [5 CFR 2635.204(a)] One may not accept cash under the $20 / $50 rule. [5 CFR 2635.204(a)]
4. Examples. Here are two examples of gifts that may be accepted under the $20 / $50 rule. First, an employee who gives a speech as part of her official duties may accept a thank you gift having a value of $20. Second, an employee may accept three $16 lunches from a DoD contractor in a calendar year.
5. Buying down to $20. If you are offered a gift that has a value over $20, you may not "buy the gift down" to $20. [5 CFR 2635.204(a)] For example, if you are offered a $21 ticket to a baseball game, you may not pay $1.00 to whomever is offering the ticket, and then accept the ticket under the $20 / $50 rule.
6. Combining items. If you are offered two separate items on the same occasion, and each item has a value under $20, and the items together have a value over $20, you may accept one of the items and decline the other. For example, if you give a speech as part of your official duties, and you are offered a $6 coffee mug and a $15 pen as thank you mementos, you may keep one or the other, but not both. [5 CFR 2635.204(a)(Example 2)]
7. Different sources on the same occasion. Under the $20 / $50 rule, you may accept gifts of up to $20 in value "per source per occasion." This means that the $20 limit applies separately to each company or organization that is offering you a gift on a particular occasion. Here is an example from the ethics regulation.
During off-duty time, an employee of the Department of Defense (DoD) attends a trade show involving companies that are DoD contractors. He is offered a $15 computer program disk at X Company's booth, a $12 appointments calendar at Y Company's booth, and a deli lunch worth $8 from Z Company. The employee may accept all three of these items because they do not exceed $20 per source, even though they total more than $20 at this single occasion. [5 CFR 2635.204(a)(Example 5)]
8. Impermissible gifts. If an employee receives a gift that cannot be accepted under the $20 / $50 rule (or any of the other gift rules), the employee must do one of the following (unless the item is accepted by the agency under specific statutory authority). If the gift is a non-perishable tangible item, the employee must either return the item to the donor or pay the market value of the item to the donor. If the gift is a perishable item and it is not practical to return the item (such as flowers or a fruit basket), the item (at the discretion of the employee's supervisor or ethics official) may be given to an appropriate charity, may be sha
DoD contractors are even stricter (Score:4, Interesting)
Violations were a firing offense. My employer took ethics quite seriously, at least after some engineers and managers were caught taking bribes & gifts from vendors in the mid '80s. They were promptly fired and blackballed from the industry. Their clearances were permanently revoked so it was legal.
Microsoft should properly be stripped of all government contracts for this violation. Too bad it won't happen. Bill Gates is Bill Gates.
Re:DoD rules on Gifts (Score:5, Interesting)
I have to give the Joes credit, they generally kicked in some reasonable amount - a few bucks each - evne though the company feed the rest of us too, and it would have been impossible for any accountant to tell if the Joes paid "enough".
If this seems like jumping thru hoops, you have no idea how seriously the military takes its rules.
What about schools? (Score:5, Insightful)
But hey, why should schools save money?
Re:What about schools? (Score:5, Insightful)
I bet the students would benefit from getting free crack, too. After all, they could save money that way.
(I do agree with you, it's just that MS giving "gifts" of this nature to schools is done under the same pretexts (for MS) as it is done to the military. Meanwhile MS bitches about piracy. Hmph. )
SB
Ethics is the LEAST of their problems. (Score:5, Interesting)
No doubt it's intended to be installed by army personnel and used as an office suite while processing internal messages, right?
If anybody on the command staff is thinking clearly, anybody who actually INSTALLS such an abomination has a LOT more to worry about than an Ethics violation.
Just think: If you were in the Army would YOU use free-in-the-mail software to process sensitive military information?
This is no joke. Battles have been lost because the size and location of the forces were betrayed by such things as an intercepted order for toilet paper.
Dear Bill (Score:5, Funny)
Unfortunately, due to the current conflicts our choice of couriers is limited, so we will have to return the CDs by loading them in pamphet-dispersion canisters and dropping them on your Redmond, WA offices.
Love,
The Army
The real goal (Score:5, Insightful)
Government employees are a great target for this because it forces all the non-governmental organizations that work with the government to get licensed for the software or face not being able to exchange documents.
-- Greg
Damage control (Score:5, Interesting)
Could it be that Microsoft have discovered that the pirating done by home users did a good job in promoting their software as these users never would buy a full price copy anyway. But if they use it at home they would still be able to recommend it to friends and employers and help MS to help the MS-Office document file formats to being regarded as a defacto standard..
If they get MS-Office for free, Microsoft may think that these home users are less likely to use OpenOffice.org at home, only to discover that it is very compativle withe the MS-Office suite and largely offers the same value as their expensive package. And then they are less likely to show their boss, or install it at work perhpas preventing Microsft from selling other products such as Exchange and database servers.
Giving free software to employees companies and government agencies that have large Microsoft contracts is probably just the beginning.
In fact I would notbe surprised Microsoft to bundle CDs with Windows and Office with every computer magazine you buy. The sofware will be licenced for private use only.
Open fire already! (Score:4, Funny)
Bill Gates: Come on just try it a little
Soldier: I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the computers!
Bill Gates: Come on here's a CD lemme just install it, it'll only take a minute
Soldier: This is your last warning, if you do not leave this area you will be terminated immediately!
Bill Gates: Here lemme just *reaches for a mouse*
Soldier: FIRE!
*right about here is some gruesome video of bill gates being ripped to shreds from M4 rounds*
Wow it'd be like a real life xBill [xbill.org]
Flight Sims on Linux (Score:5, Informative)
Microsoft... (Score:4, Informative)
If They're giving it away (Score:5, Interesting)
The limit applies to ALL government workers (Score:4, Informative)
That includes the $20/$50 gift limit ($20 for a single gift, $50 total for all gifts from a single source in a given year). All of this is administered by the Office of Government Ethics, an independent agency that used to be part of the Office of Personnel Management, another independent agency.
http://www.usoge.gov
The applicable regs are here, in S 2635.201:
http://www.usoge.gov/pages/forms_pubs_
Or there's a handy cartoon pamphlet:
http://www.usoge.gov/pages/forms_pubs_
I had to learn all about this because I used to work for a publishing company that was going to launch a magazine for federal workers that we were going to give to them for free
Now I work in a small consulting shop. Microsoft has a program and gives us *everything* for free for our internal use because they want us to push it onto our clients. I'm talking Office, Server, Exchange, Project Server, whatever. Some of the big-time VARs and integrators get deals too.
I know that they are having problems selling it (Score:5, Insightful)
Rather it would be better to give free copies to the education market that cannot truely afford it. Our college still uses MS Office 2000, and trying to do a PowerPoint XP/2002 Slideshow on a machine with Office 2000 and a Projector loses a lot of the special effects and other things.
Also interesting to note is the media copy protection that MS Office 2003 has in it. Another reason for avoiding MS Office 2003 and sticking with an older version of MS Office or going with OpenOffice.org instead. I can see novices copy protecting their documents that they need to share with others and then someone in a different department tries to open up a shared document and it won't let them, and they need access to the info ASAP. We already see this problem partically when novices set passwords on documents and share them and don't tell anyone else what the password is.
Do NOT piss off (Score:5, Funny)
Smooth move M$..
Simpler than the article makes it seem... (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously, though, I work at a fast food restaurant. We're not supposed to give free or discounted anything to any government official (police, health inspectors, etc.) even in good faith, or in kindness, because it makes it seem like we're bribing them. The one exception is donating sandwiches to the fire department's fundraiser/awareness day thingy.
Office Product Activation=Security Risk (Score:5, Informative)
Military and classified networks are walled fortresses with complete isolation from the internet world. They do not tolerate breaches of this nature that puts classified data at risk. If even a laptop enters from the outside world, it will not leave without a complete wipe of the hard drive, memory, and any other removable media. No exceptions.
M$ Office Product Activation phones home over the Internet. That's a no-no in a classified secured area.
Someone at M$ is going to get das boot.
Oh the Irony! (Score:4, Insightful)
(Okay, I know they are two different types of free; hence the capitalization).
Re:$20 Limit... (Score:5, Insightful)
Fair is fair, use the same value they do when calculating their "$90000000000 billion lost to software piracy!" figure.
Re:$20 Limit... (Score:5, Insightful)
Here, take this gold bar, absolutely for free, it's a gift. You pay nothing, it costs nothing! And now, about that contract of ours...
Re:$20 Limit... (Score:4, Insightful)
Why don't you give me your car for free? You wouldn't have a problem with it, right, because you assert that by giving it to me for free, the value of the car is reduced to 0$. Magically, by giving it to me for free, you suddenly don't mind giving the car up, because it becomes worthless through the process of you giving it as a gift! Yeah, thats how it works!
PS
Whats the value of providing you with your 'intangiable' current internet service (since you don't actually receive a physical object in return for your ISP fee?) Gee, its whatever you're currently paying for it
Re:$20 Limit... (Score:5, Insightful)
Even if it's $5.00, it was my duty in the Navy to say no. I worked supply for a while and I would not even permit a vendor to buy my lunch. The military persons who accept the free copies are in violation of several standing orders and could be literally get 20 years at hard labor at a nice gated community in Kansas.
Re:$20 Limit... (Score:4, Informative)
Your MSDN subscription price means nothing. According to the website [microsoft.com] an MSDN subscription costs $2799, and $2299 for a renewal. Kind of a bit more than $500.
Re:As much as I hate m$ (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:ethics? (Score:5, Insightful)
The above post is from aflamebaiting troll.
They bothered because it makes sense (Score:5, Informative)
Consider this move of theirs with Office 2003 to be viral marketing at its best. Office itself still makes them a lot of money, but they know that they'll lose office desktop market share at some point if people can easily switch away from MS Office to other office products (which is getting easier all the time). So, if they make sure that there is tight integration between Office and their server products, you'll get locked in and won't (easily) be able to move off of Office, much less Windows.
But, what Microsoft forgot about gov't agencies in general, is that grass-roots marketing is a no-no. Strict hierarchies do not appreciate circumvention, especially where budget impacts may occur because of it.