Obama's Mac-savvy team lands in Microsoft hell at White House

[savar]

As for the laptops vs desktops... I would wager a guess that its a big security concern. Laptops stay in secure areas, aren't moved, etc. There is a whole new layer of security involved in laptops as they leave the office and go to airports, homes, car trunks, etc. This is more than likely intentional.

You're more than right about the security ramifications, but this is 2008 -- we've solved those problems already. Fortune 50 companies give laptops to anybody who has any reasonable need for portable computing. Security risks are mitigated by using off-the-shelf, driver-level encryption. All VPN tunnels are encrypted using multi-factor authentication. Big companies are selling these solutions and other big companies are buying them. It's simply NBD anymore.

The real problem is just that the government is usually not very savvy at anything other than bureaucracy. Hell, most high-level officials can barely use a computer. This administration will begin to turn that around, however, as they won the election -- in part -- because of their technology savvy. The generation that grew up using the internet is just turning old enough to run for Congress, too.

 

[chewietobbacca]

Welcome to government. Why do you think it takes thousands to simply get things done.

As rjs stated, this isn't a Windows vs. Mac thing. It's a matter of what works better for the task, and like the vast majority of corporations out there, Windows provides the better solution.

First of all, Macs fall very short of what Windows Server and infrastructure can bring. Yeah, Windows is more susceptible to viruses, but that's expected given their 89% market share and the increased likelihood of stupid users.

Anyone who has worked at a major company with a major IT infrastructure knows that there are numerous benefits to running a Windows-based server. And in the government, security and other things needed are much more likely to be provided by Windows based software, given that the government runs a lot of these things like corporations do (just much less efficiently).

Its the same reason Obama won't have an iPhone anytime soon. It just wouldn't pass the security requirements.

As for being outdated, the government is slow to change anything in case you havent noticed. And updating an infrastructure as big as the government is no easy task. So all this talk of 6 year old stuff is nonsense. You don't just update and change everything overnight wihtout some serious looks at current capability, future capability, costs, etc.

Its the same reason that Macs will never become the dominant foothold in government so long as Apple dictates what can be modified and not in the OS, what kind of hardware is required, etc.

 

[r.j.s]

... snip ...

Oh, yes, I forgot. CAC card compatibility. Without that working flawlessly, Macs will never take hold in the government.

 

[Unspeaked]

I'd like to see a major government that isn't running Windows XP (or older) as their primary operating system.

Or better yet, one that doesn't use Windows at all (in lieu of anything - Macs, Linux, UNIX).

I find it highly unlikely...

 

[seashellz]

well, ive read and heard that the Military, nervous about the reliability of Windows under alert/emergencies/daily use presures have purchased Macs one-to one-as backups-who knows-OS X may defend our country one day when Windows poops out in the middle of WW3

 

[r.j.s]

well, ive read and heard that the Military, nervous about the reliability of Windows under alert/emergencies/daily use presures have purchased Macs one-to one-as backups-who knows-OS X may defend our country one day when Windows poops out in the middle of WW3

Not true. Although, they do use a lot of OS X Servers.

 

[Consultant]

Oh, yes, I forgot. CAC card compatibility. Without that working flawlessly, Macs will never take hold in the government.

CAC on OSX. Just in time. (In case you don't know how to run windows on a mac).
http://www.army.mil/AKO/info/guides/CACconfig/setup/index.html

Army's use of Macs
http://www.forbes.com/home/technolo...rmy-hackers-tech-security-cx_ag_1221army.html

 

[r.j.s]

CAC on mac. Just in time.
http://www.army.mil/AKO/info/guides/CACconfig/setup/index.html

I said flawlessly. It doesn't work with MOST CAC readers, and is quite quirky. I don't know if you have actually done any research on the topic, but those instructions are for Tiger. Leopard has issues with CAC cards.

As for the other link, it says what I said, servers mostly. Yes, there are some units that have independently purchased a Mac for graphics/video work.

You won't see every Soldier that works on a computer using a Mac for many, many years, if ever.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Seriously, enough of the Bush bashing... OMG, <sarcasm> six year old software, gasp, thats like, office 2003! </sarcasm>.

How many of your companies (large companies, such as the government that is) are still using Windows XP and MS Office 2003? A greater majority of them I would assume. As for the laptops vs desktops... I would wager a guess that its a big security concern. Laptops stay in secure areas, aren't moved, etc. There is a whole new layer of security involved in laptops as they leave the office and go to airports, homes, car trunks, etc. This is more than likely intentional.

I see this as another non-story story. Another pointless piece of garbage "journalism" knocking a prior administration that quite frankly, doesn't deserve nearly the bashing it gets. What DOESN'T get blamed on the Bush administration these days? Whats next?

I guess I am venting, cmon people, wake up.

+1 on that. I read though the WP article and none of that seemed out of place. ALL OF IT seem very normal for bussiness.

This is yet another example of why the media is crap and no longer cares about the truth. Instead it is how can we make it look bad.

It would be nice to see the media report the truth instead of some BS like this and take the truth and spins it so much that it is no longer any where near what it reality is.

 

[brad.c]

At least CTU uses Macs (or Mac monitors at least), even when they're off the grid.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

Hold on a minute there....
These are the people we expect to run our country and when they were faced with xp they "couldn't complete the most basic of online tasks"???
Are these people retarded or do they just want another thing to bitch about from Bush's administration?

 

[.Andy]

Hold on a minute there....
These are the people we expect to run our country and when they were faced with xp they "couldn't complete the most basic of online tasks"???

No that's not it at all. The bureaucracy required to get everything set up and running is an enormous task. There's the whole administration needing passwords and accounts and phone numbers etc etc all in one day. They've also got to familiarise and navigate a completely new system and rules which they aren't used to.

Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.

Senior advisers chafed at the new arrangements, which severely limit mobility — partly by tradition but also for security reasons and to ensure that all official work is preserved under the Presidential Records Act.

"It is what it is," said a White House staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Nobody is being a blockade right now. It's just the system we need to go through."

Are these people retarded or do they just want another thing to bitch about from Bush's administration?

No one is "bitching" about Bush at all. There's even a quote from a Bush staffer reliving the same kind of problems they had when they initially moved in.

The system has daunted past White House employees. David Almacy, who became President George W. Bush's Internet director in 2005, recalled having a week-long delay between his arrival at the White House and getting set up with a computer and a BlackBerry.

I have absolutely no idea where people are getting the idea that this article is a "bitch" about Bush. It's certainly not in the article.

 

[maestrocasa]

I have a hard time believing that the government uses the most heavily hacked and malware-targeted OS on earth. Nevermind Mac V. PC, shouldn't they be using some sort of high-security UNIX or something?

 

[r.j.s]

No that's not it at all. The bureaucracy required to get everything set up and running is an enormous task. There's the whole administration needing passwords and accounts and phone numbers etc etc all in one day. They've also got to familiarise and navigate a completely new system and rules which they aren't used to.

The question is, why wasn't all this done during the transition? It's not like they just suddenly dropped by the WH and said, 'We're here, give us our accounts.' The permanent WH staff knew when the new admin was coming.

All of the needed paperwork should have been done before Jan. 20.

 

[EmperorDarius]

Obama should buy a bunch of iMacs

 

[r.j.s]

Obama should buy a bunch of iMacs

Did you even read the thread?

 

[brad.c]

... The bureaucracy required to get everything set up and running is an enormous task. There's the whole administration needing passwords and accounts and phone numbers etc etc all in one day. ...

Sounds as straightforward as the MobileMe rollout.

 

[r.j.s]

Sounds as straightforward as the MobileMe rollout.

Yes, but it should have all been done before they took over.

 

[brad.c]

Yes, but it should have all been done before they took over.

Probably not as simple as that. Aren't they still appointing operational staff as well as the bigger heads, too? Besides, go to any large company and ask if an IT update or platform change should be scheduled at the same time as a large personnel turnover.

 

[Melrose]

Well, considering the government runs 99% XP machines, they should have known. Sounds naive to expect anything else.

You'd think they would at least have caught a glimpse of the technology before they moved in.

It would be cool to see the White House switch...

 

[robanga]

I'm thinking that was a manufactured story " Cool hip administration comes in and finds remains of old stodgy administration"

Sensational journalism but probably not rooted in much reality.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

No one is "bitching" about Bush at all. There's even a quote from a Bush staffer reliving the same kind of problems they had when they initially moved in.

"Obama staffers were flummoxed by all the out-of-date Microsoft software left over from the Bush administration"
Fair statement fail.

Did Obama really think the government could drop $1000+ for every computer the whitehouse uses so he could have a mac? Not only that, but its freaking XP! Its been around for a while and if you dont know how to use it you cant blame Bush for "leftover" tech.

It seems that Obama likes to have some excuse why everything wqas done wrong prior to him. It seems like he missed the wagon on this one and wasnt prepared for the switch.

 

[robanga]

"Obama staffers were flummoxed by all the out-of-date Microsoft software left over from the Bush administration"
Fair statement fail.

Did Obama really think the government could drop $1000+ for every computer the whitehouse uses so he could have a mac? Not only that, but its freaking XP! Its been around for a while and if you dont know how to use it you cant blame Bush for "leftover" tech.

It seems that Obama likes to have some excuse why everything wqas done wrong prior to him. It seems like he missed the wagon on this one and wasnt prepared for the switch.

I doubt it was the Pres that was complaining, likely the busy body press corps looking for stories and chatty new staff settling into their new digs.

 

[r.j.s]

Probably not as simple as that. Aren't they still appointing operational staff as well as the bigger heads, too? Besides, go to any large company and ask if an IT update or platform change should be scheduled at the same time as a large personnel turnover.

I'm not talking about a hardware changeover.

They should have had everybody's accounts and paperwork done before the 20th.

 

[carlgo]

I saw a retort from the Bush admin denying that the tech was old, but of course that admin was real sensitive about any competency issues.

I'm sure the IT guys kept the system that worked for them. They understood it and could keep it going. They probably spent all their time keeping hackers out. Would they have had the time to install and become as one with an all-new system?

Surely, the old system probably is lacking big-time, but it will take a really big effort to install and tame an all new system. This will be done, but it will take a while and a lot of money.