bête noire
macrumors newbie
The Army has 700,000 computers now. The assumption is that this number will stay more or less the same. How the heck do you figure that 81,818 Macs plus 81,818 Windows (i.e. 163,636 total) is anywhere near 700,000?
U.S. Army Acquires More Macs To Enhance Cybersecurity
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The Army has 700,000 computers now. The assumption is that this number will stay more or less the same. How the heck do you figure that 81,818 Macs plus 81,818 Windows (i.e. 163,636 total) is anywhere near 700,000?
Blue Velvet
Moderator emeritus
ClimbingTheLog
macrumors 6502a
The Army has 700,000 computers now. The assumption is that this number will stay more or less the same. How the heck do you figure that 81,818 Macs plus 81,818 Windows (i.e. 163,636 total) is anywhere near 700,000?
Nothing to add, just thanks for flogging the fanatics with merciless logic.
Respect.
rbhudelson
macrumors newbie
Just because you say it doesn't make it so. Windows XP, even when hardened, is not remotely as secure as OS X.
With that said, OS X has only recently gained the attention of the hacking community and I am 100% certain there will be additional security issues found. The real beauty behind OS X is the ease and reliability of patching the OS compared to Windows. I can't tell you how many times a Windows Security Patch has broken both client and server side applications. Distributing software on *Nix based systems is several orders of magnitude easier and less problematic than on Windows.
The thing people, especially technical people, have to keep in mind is that most "users" don't care. They just want something that works, stays out of their way and doesn't require a bunch of futzing with. The other thing is people just expect security and are mostly dumbfounded, offended and embarrassed when they are the reason for data loss, identity theft or work disruption.
My perspective has been formed by years of managing tens of thousands of desktops and ten thousand servers in over one hundred countries. My last real job was running desktop and server engineering for a leading computer maker. I have carried a Mac for 4 years but would gladly leave them if something better, more elegant and secure comes along - it's just for now - there's not.
Take a look on top 500 supercomputers
Yes, there are at least 2 Mac OS X based supercomputers in the list of http://www.top500.org/stats/list/30/os.
But. For Apple being in this list is not a business, but marketing. Since business in the field is for IBM and HP. Just take a look in the list.
This means that Mac OS X is capable enough to "make decent clusters". But Apple is B2C company and is internally to weak to cover segment of cluster computations. Its just about personnel and management problems, not OS ability.
Yes, there are at least 2 Mac OS X based supercomputers in the list of http://www.top500.org/stats/list/30/os.
But. For Apple being in this list is not a business, but marketing. Since business in the field is for IBM and HP. Just take a look in the list.
This means that Mac OS X is capable enough to "make decent clusters". But Apple is B2C company and is internally to weak to cover segment of cluster computations. Its just about personnel and management problems, not OS ability.
coffey7
macrumors 6502a
Good news. Because I am so sick and tired of computer shows and forums always including politics into everything. Yes we all know the United States, George Bush and Microsoft are all Nazi's. yeah yeah yeah.
Why not have the Army use the best computers. The U.S military is better run than any other Army in the world. Using Apple computers will help them stay on top.
Sheebahawk
macrumors member
A. The US Army is by historical standards the most professional fighting force ever fielded (except Sparta's hoplites);
Your forgetting the USMC.
The Navy has been using Xserves in subs for a couple years now, they are quiet.
Your forgetting the USMC.
The Navy has been using Xserves in subs for a couple years now, they are quiet.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
Pfft, the Air Force says hi!
As an Army G6 (IT Dept.) in Iraq, I was wondering why there were so many Mac magazines at the commisaries in Kuwait and Iraq. Then one day, one of my techs asked me to help them out.
On our work counter were 4 white Mac laptops. They were brought in by a customer who needed them configured for our network. Being a reservist who works for an ad agency in my civilian job back home, I was familiar with networking macs. None of the techs had ever seen one.
First I had to see who the customer was to ensure this was authorized. Before they could flash their credentials I knew who they were. Camouflaged uniforms with no rank, no name, no service branch tags. Some of the guys had thick beards and were heavily armed... real secret squirrel types.
Here at the Pentagon, I haven't seen any macs per se, but I'm sure they are around. They show up as Unix boxes on network scans.
Yep. From a computer standpoint, the Macs are the silent service of the military.
On our work counter were 4 white Mac laptops. They were brought in by a customer who needed them configured for our network. Being a reservist who works for an ad agency in my civilian job back home, I was familiar with networking macs. None of the techs had ever seen one.
First I had to see who the customer was to ensure this was authorized. Before they could flash their credentials I knew who they were. Camouflaged uniforms with no rank, no name, no service branch tags. Some of the guys had thick beards and were heavily armed... real secret squirrel types.
Here at the Pentagon, I haven't seen any macs per se, but I'm sure they are around. They show up as Unix boxes on network scans.
Yep. From a computer standpoint, the Macs are the silent service of the military.
PowerPointSamur
macrumors newbie
Cac
I'm in the US Army and have been using Macs (at home) for years. When CAC was mandated for a lot of operations, I got a CAC card reader right after I got my MacBookPro. As some of you might expect, it worked "auto-magically" like everything else with the Mac. I have no idea what the article is talking about with that bit about fixing the problem with the CAC.
I know a fair number of other Mac users in the Army as well. This isn't as new as it sounds because individuals have been using them here and there all along, such as an intel officer in the 3rd Infantry Division in the first round in Iraq. www.army.mil was hosted on a Mac OS classic server for most of the 90s and early 00's. Go to www.netcraft.com/whats and look up www.army.mil now and you will see that the public site is hosted on OS X. I guess the only real new thing about this story is the volume they bought.
I'm in the US Army and have been using Macs (at home) for years. When CAC was mandated for a lot of operations, I got a CAC card reader right after I got my MacBookPro. As some of you might expect, it worked "auto-magically" like everything else with the Mac. I have no idea what the article is talking about with that bit about fixing the problem with the CAC.
I know a fair number of other Mac users in the Army as well. This isn't as new as it sounds because individuals have been using them here and there all along, such as an intel officer in the 3rd Infantry Division in the first round in Iraq. www.army.mil was hosted on a Mac OS classic server for most of the 90s and early 00's. Go to www.netcraft.com/whats and look up www.army.mil now and you will see that the public site is hosted on OS X. I guess the only real new thing about this story is the volume they bought.
PowerPointSamur
macrumors newbie
Spartans
The gentleman you are quoting said "Spartans", not "Hoplites". Technically, the Spartans were professionals because it dominated their livelihood and they worked to expand the body of expertise in their profession. Hoplites from other city states (and in general) were usually citizen-soldiers, although later in Greek history (esp. post-Alexander), many Hoplites hired themselves out to many empires and kingdoms far and wide. The term "Hoplites" refers to the shield carried by the soldiers and implies the tactics they employed.
The gentleman you are quoting said "Spartans", not "Hoplites". Technically, the Spartans were professionals because it dominated their livelihood and they worked to expand the body of expertise in their profession. Hoplites from other city states (and in general) were usually citizen-soldiers, although later in Greek history (esp. post-Alexander), many Hoplites hired themselves out to many empires and kingdoms far and wide. The term "Hoplites" refers to the shield carried by the soldiers and implies the tactics they employed.