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.

Yeah Buddy!

[notque]

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"

uh oh

[randyest]

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???!?!

Cost analysis

[Jedi1USA]

Insert $1000 toilet seat joke here-->

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[anthony_dipierro]

C'mon, admit it. You posted that using IE on Windows.

Army

[Anonymous Coward]

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?!?

[rampant mac]

$471,000,000 dollars? That's like SIXTEEN hammers!

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[Anonymous Coward]

And if the US was a country that didn't pander to corperate intrests, the headline would read,


No, it would read US Army signs $0 Deal for Linux software if we wanted our soldiers to "RTFM, j00 n00b l4m3r" instead of, say, killing people and breaking things.

Re:Cost analysis

[Lord Puppet]

Insert "Military Intelligence" joke here.

I thought...

[medscaper]

Saw that title, US Army Signs $471,000,000 Deal for Microsoft Software...

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."

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[notque]

C'mon, admit it. You posted that using IE on Windows.

Yes, but I have a valid reason.

I.. uh... umm...

If I used lynx, I wouldn't see Slashdot's ads, and would be circumventing the system, Which would not only be a violation of the DCMA, but would also..

I give up. Revoke my Slashdot card.

Minister M.S.

[BenjyD]

" 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

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[notque]

No, it would read US Army signs $0 Deal for Linux software if we wanted our soldiers to "RTFM, j00 n00b l4m3r" instead of, say, killing people and breaking things.

Haven't you seen the commercial? All army people do is sit around and beat 14 year olds at video games.

(This comment would have been much better had I remembered the name of the game in the commercial.)

Re:Good News

[samhalliday]

smart bombs? aren't those are the ones that arrive at your doorstep without you having to go collect them;

*knock* *knock*

"hello"

"eh, i have a bomb delivery for" *checks notepad* "mr anderson"

"yes, thats me"

"sign here sir"

*signs*

"have a nice day!

BANG

aah, convenience in progress...

Re:uh oh

[geoff lane]

Accountable? Have you read the EULA?

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Open source software supports terrorism just like P2P, but fortunatly we have the DMCA, RIAA, and BSA to defend us against these injustices

In Canada...

[TheVidiot]

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.

---

Re:Cost analysis

[pi radians]

Insert "Insert Joke" Joke here.

Re:Yet another 'Bitch about MS'

[notque]

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.

It's obvious what software...

[mblase]

They want all their recruits to train on the best computer simulation available to the government today [americasarmy.com].

That's not even half of it.

[notque]

Just wait until while in the middle of cordinating an attack, they recieve a windows messanger popup for increased penis size.

Priceless!

Someone's gotta do it...

[DragonMagic]

"B S O D in the Army~~~"

Sorry, someone had to. (yeah, the syllables don't match up...)

alternately...

[ed.han]

"what, you think they really paid $700 for a hammer?"--judd hirsh, independence day.

Re:Conspiracy theory...

[jm2morri]

Let's leave the hooker budget out of the discussion.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[pizen]

No, those were Navy Seals. All Army guys do it run around talking about being an army by themselves. I guess nobody wants to be all they can be anymore.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[TopShelf]

But if they did that, how would they play America's Army Operations [amazon.com]?

Re:uh oh

[aborchers]

Oh, wait, that's the old slogan.

Yeah, the new one is "Who do you want to go to war with today?"

New programming language...

[jabbadabbadoo]

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!

Army of One...

[Dr. Bent]

...reboot per day. At least the rifles aren't running Windows yet.

New attacking front

[EdMack]

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.

Well goodbye and thanks for all the POSIX!

[steve_of_AR]

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.

This makes no sense!

[teamhasnoi]

For that kind of money, they could have bought a new G5!

Re:What software?

[Anonymous Coward]

Does that include Age of Empires?

New and improved with Afghanistan and Iraq expansion packs.

Re:$471,000,000?!?

[Lord_Slepnir]

actually, It's 20 hammers. They've started melting down toilet seats to make them.

Re:Cost analysis

[Lord_Slepnir]

Insert "Recursive Joke" Joke Here

They should have said the were considering linux

[Anonymous Coward]

to get a bit of a discount...

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[stinky wizzleteats]

...killing people and breaking things.

You know, this story didn't really make sense to me until I read that. If your task is to kill people and break things, Windows is clearly the OS for you.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[InnovativeCX]

Yeah, uh, well we'll also have to remove your tattoo.

(pulling out a cheese grater)

But I haven't gotten one yet...

rats....

Re:New attacking front

[davechen]

Hey, if there's anyone that can find Bin Laden and bring him to justice, it's the BSA.

This is a good thing...

[VendettaMF]

Anything that reduces the US Military's finances, stability and general flexibility/readiness without actually spilling blood can only be good.

Re:Paying twice?

[Eunuchswear]

Yes, I know /. is slanted. It still irritates me though.

Well, if it wasn't slanted it'd be |.

Re:Microsoft hardly creates jobs

[halo8]

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

Wow

[stinky wizzleteats]

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.

Ask the USS Yorktown

[gregmac]

The Navy already uses Windows almost exclusively for its day-to-day computing, and it seems to be working out alright.

So what if you have to call a tow truck [gcn.com] every once in a while..

Re:Anyone here use Win for anything other than gam

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, only those of us who have jobs and don't live in our parents' basement use Windows.

Re:not a big suprise

[chundo]

I think the R&D has pretty much been covered for toilet seats by now.

-j

Re:$471,000,000?!?

[scoove]

494,000 sets of software licences

hmmm... wonder if this [microsoft.com] has anything to do with things:

Microsoft intruduces powerful-new military battle interface
"GI Bob" software to unify army command and control systems

REDMOND, Wash., May 23, 2003 -- American combat military personnel may get upgraded this year following Microsoft's release of a new battle user interface. The new product, Microsoft GI Bob for Windows, is based on the innovative user interface system initially released by Microsoft in 1993 to consumer sectors.

Featuring a powerful new intuition engine and updated interface, GI Bob represents common combat tasks in a easy-to-navigate windowpane, complete with the a refreshing new theme called QuansitHut(TM). Designed to simplify all aspects of military combat, experts acclaim GI Bob as an interface that "even a private from Arkansas could master," yielding strategic benefits to training and combat readiness requirements.

Within GI Bob, soldiers can access battlefield data by selecting convenient icons like Sgt. Carter's desk (for current tasks), file cabinet (for archived materials), a desktop radio (for communications) and other readily-identifiable items. With the updated VirtualPyle assistant, GI Bob's audiovisual experience is complete with voiceovers and animated interactions with the on-screen helper.

Microsoft GI Bob is available to authorized military purchasers and retails for $999. Contact your authorized Microsoft partner for details.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[macdaddy357]

I'm using Mozilla, Assclown! Internet Exploder is for people with VCRs flashing 12:00.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[arose]

Would you care to guestimate the cost of training users? Employing linux administrators? converting existing data? Support?

OK. Less then 471000000.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[a1englishman]

Does the BSOD count as friendly fire?

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[stinky wizzleteats]

Does the BSOD count as friendly fire?

What are you, kidding? The contract strictly stipulates that all BSODs are to be characterized as training incidents.

Re:Anyone here use Win for anything other than gam

[Yort]

Is there anyone on Slashdot that hangs onto Windows for anything other than games?

Work.

Wife.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[Theaetetus]

It's an Army of One! (enrollment is way down...) ;)

-T

Re:Paying twice?

[Hoch]

Unslanted = |.
Unslanted and balanced = .|.

Neutrality is nothing but Gentalia.

Re:uhhhh, open source can't be classified...

[notque]

Christ, not everything is a corporate-pandering conspiracy theory.

Or is that what they want us to beileve.

Re:Anyone here use Win for anything other than gam

[Pig Hogger]

Is there anyone on Slashdot that hangs onto Windows for anything other than games?

Work.

Wife. Pr0n.

Paid How Much?

[serutan]

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.

Re:Yeah Buddy!

[MojoMonkey]

So, what are these machines for (without giving away any secrets)?

Weather systems.

Re:Anyone here use Win for anything other than gam

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Re:What software?

[swillden]

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.

Re:Anyone here use Win for anything other than gam

[Phishpin]

Then the only viable solution for a large portion of Slashdotters would be to...pirate the English language!

Arrrgghh!!!

Whew! What a relief.

[Zhe Mappel]

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.

Boondoggled Again!

[Radical Rad]

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?