Apple Gaining Acceptance in Government?

[KershMan]

Re: What was that sound I heard? The Apple Firewall being built

Originally posted by 10 Goto 10
Imagine being a Fed purchasing Macs for the first time. Imagine that you have to spend your funds in the next few days or you'll lose the money forever. Imagine having your shipment yanked from under your nose today after planning to test the unit all next week. Imagine your superior advising that anyone buying Apple was a fool. Don't imagine anyone being dumb enough to order a mac anytime soon.

Happened to a friend today. Trust him to never be Jobs's b*tch again. This cancelation right around the end of the fiscal federal year was profoundly stupid and will make Mac promotion in the Gov't even more difficult.

Actually, it doesn't really work like this. First, very few Government offices have money this late in the year that is not obligated. Generally any money not obligated by June is consolidated at a higher agency and then spent on priority items.

If your friend had an order in, then the funds were obligated. It does not matter if they are not withdrawn until after the fiscal year ends. It only matters that they were obligated before the end of the fiscal year.

 

[panphage]

quote:
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
I thought I had read somewhere that the NSA has their own custom roll of BSD they use.

Originally posted by szark
Actually, it's a version of Linux, and you can download it here.

Security-enhanced Linux is a proof of concept, according to the NSA. A research project/demonstration. I don't think they use that or they wouldn't have published it. The NSA is publicity-averse.

A quote:
" This work is not intended as a complete security solution for Linux. Security-enhanced Linux is not an attempt to correct any flaws that may currently exist in Linux. Instead, it is simply an example of how mandatory access controls that can confine the actions of any process, including a superuser process, can be added into Linux. The focus of this work has not been on system assurance or other security features such as security auditing, although these elements are also important for a secure system. "

 

[KershMan]

Originally posted by panphage
quote:
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
I thought I had read somewhere that the NSA has their own custom roll of BSD they use.


Security-enhanced Linux is a proof of concept, according to the NSA. A research project/demonstration. I don't think they use that or they wouldn't have published it. The NSA is publicity-averse.

A quote:
" This work is not intended as a complete security solution for Linux. Security-enhanced Linux is not an attempt to correct any flaws that may currently exist in Linux. Instead, it is simply an example of how mandatory access controls that can confine the actions of any process, including a superuser process, can be added into Linux. The focus of this work has not been on system assurance or other security features such as security auditing, although these elements are also important for a secure system. "

It is used within the Government. I have worked projects that use it. The purpose of the statement is to waive any responsibility on NSA's part. The project has now migrated and is part of the Linux Security Modules project.

 

[rjwill246]

Re: Re: What was that sound I heard? The Apple Firewall being built

Originally posted by KershMan
Actually, it doesn't really work like this. First, very few Government offices have money this late in the year that is not obligated. Generally any money not obligated by June is consolidated at a higher agency and then spent on priority items.

If your friend had an order in, then the funds were obligated. It does not matter if they are not withdrawn until after the fiscal year ends. It only matters that they were obligated before the end of the fiscal year.

Absolutely true. I was about to respond to this as absolutely FUD but you've made the point. Amazing how well trolls can partly disguise themselves.

 

[KershMan]

Re: Re: Re: What was that sound I heard? The Apple Firewall being built

Originally posted by rjwill246
Absolutely true. I was about to respond to this as absolutely FUD but you've made the point. Amazing how well trolls can partly disguise themselves.

Yep, I agree. As long as the purchase order is done before the end of the fiscal year, the funds are considered obligated. Doesn't really matter if what you bought is not delivered before the end of the fiscal year. I have worked on a contract that the funds were 2 fiscal years old, and that didn't matter either because the GSA obligated the funds before the end of the fiscal year.

 

[michaelperez1]

Re: Re: What was that sound I heard? The Apple Firewall being built

Originally posted by coolsoldier
I'd have to agree that apple needs to be more reliable with their shipments before they can expect to gain any ground in government or business.

Just Consider that Apple is a Small Company in overall to microsoft even if Apple works out with shipment problems there will always be problems even with windows but consider that if they can ship over 1000 units to Virginia then in 2 months thats pretty good for a large order as for there small structure I think that was one of the reason's of the Apple Store instead of sending 100 units per week in California they can send current shipments in The Apple Stores in the Are and Shipments will arrive Faster but thats just my Idea and sorry on type errors just tired

 

[John Q Public]

there goes the neighborhood...

Originally posted by Powerbook G5
Scary, isn't it? Even more so that the Department of Homeland Security decided that Microsoft was the answer to their needs...

nothing good can come of this...personally I'd rather see the government stay with Micro$haft product...if the Feds go to MacOS X and Linux for prime function...that means virii for the rest of us...the more people that switch (especially government) the greater the chance of script-kiddies shifting their focus toward Mac...remember that the first virus was for Unix...

 

[10 Goto 10]

Reply to those who doubted Apple Firewall event

Originally posted by KershMan
Actually, it doesn't really work like this. First, very few Government offices have money this late in the year that is not obligated. Generally any money not obligated by June is consolidated at a higher agency and then spent on priority items.

If your friend had an order in, then the funds were obligated. It does not matter if they are not withdrawn until after the fiscal year ends. It only matters that they were obligated before the end of the fiscal year.

I don't know where to begin. First, obviously you don't know the situation I'm discussing, so you can't prove it false. I'm not dumb enough to include details describing the agency or the individual as that could lead to quite a bit of difficulty for the players involved. If you aren't aware of the situation, you shouldn't say it isn't true. Nor is it trolling. Generalities from your experience or what someone told you while having a beer at the Big Hunt logically don't cover all situations. Waiting for someone to bring up Nazis.

As for already spending the funds, it depends entirely on when funds where distributed and what percentage of funds are for consumables, etc. Research, development, and other flexible or responsive needs require not spending everything months in advance. Also, funds were released this year in May, giving little time to order. Depending on the agency, some require outside approval of over $2500, while others at $5000. Purchases below this amount are at the discretion of individuals with funds and must be spent, not just obligated, by a certain date. This can very from agency to agency.

As for little funds be available at this point, I can point out a Washington Post article "Thriving on Government's Rush to Spend" published today in which Sept sales are at 20% of yearly sales for GTSI. Feel free to look it up and challenge the facts with a letter to the Post. Or do you call them trolls as well?

If you need to spend so many dollars and the product isn't there, you will cancel and go to another vendor. This is what happened. If those who don't know the situation wish to pontificate, I guess that is what this board is about.

End of discussion. Feel free to continue.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Re: Reply to those who doubted Apple Firewall event

Originally posted by 10 Goto 10
Waiting for someone to bring up Nazis.

Why? Did they make it difficult to buy new equipment mid-year? I'm confused.

Originally posted by 10 Goto 10
End of discussion. Feel free to continue.

LOL!!!

 

[Physiognome]

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
I thought I had read somewhere that the NSA has their own custom roll of BSD they use.

Well, I read they were interested in sponsoring OpenBSD not long ago. Theo de Raadt (infamous for being a... character, to say the least) accepted their offer, then spent the grant money before he got it and published a vicious rant about the war-mongering Bush administration. It was promptly canceled, and who was at fault is a matter of debate.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

Did he sue? Is this a hot court case?

 

[manzanita]

Re: Reply to those who doubted Apple Firewall event

As for already spending the funds, it depends entirely on when funds where distributed and what percentage of funds are for consumables, etc. Research, development, and other flexible or responsive needs require not spending everything months in advance. Also, funds were released this year in May, giving little time to order. Depending on the agency, some require outside approval of over $2500, while others at $5000. Purchases below this amount are at the discretion of individuals with funds and must be spent, not just obligated, by a certain date. This can vary from agency to agency.

This is true in my experience. This is also where lots of govt employees can get Macs even though they are not (have not?) been on the list of approved OS's.

Anyway, that aside, I don't believe this rumor at all. There was a freeze on buying any hardware not on the approved list this year (separate from the spending freeze b/c of the lack of a budget), at least in the DOI (Dept of the Interior), even if they came under the $2500/$5000 limit - everything from Macs to external drives to firewalls... Lots of scientists use Macs, Suns, etc., and in order to circumvent this they have to prove that they could not get their work done with a Windows machine.

Like I said - there was (maybe still is, I'm not sure) a freeze on buying Macs in the DOI. There was a lot more talk about even more Orwellian measures regarding computer purchasing, but those haven't been instituted yet so far as I know. Very scary, though.