11 Comments

US DOT considering the switch to OS X / Linux

March 5, 2007 by in Tech with 11 Comments

The US DOT – Dept. of Transportation – is considering a huge switch from a Windows work environment to OS X / Linux. In a blanket statement that takes a huge swing at Microsoft, the US DOT has banned the use of Vista, Office 2007, and IE7 for incompatibility issues. Microsoft? Are you listening? One of the largest departments which ensures that our nation continues to move just poked fun at how all of the latest MS software releases are making life difficult.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has banned Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 2007 from its offices, and is considering switching its operations to Macs and PCs running Novell’s SuSe Linux. The DOT enacted the ban in mid-January, according to one blogger, because certain applications essential to the agency’s function can’t run on Windows Vista.

Does anyone think Microsoft might send a friendly email offering help to get the DOT back on their feet with the latest software releases? Or, will the DOT ultimately make the switch?


  • http://fernyb.net FernyB

    I really hope US DOT switches to Mac or Linux.

  • Brian

    It would be nice to find out what apps they are running. Will they run under OS X or Linux? There were these same kinds of problems when XP came out.

    Sounds to me like the DOT is whining…

  • Milo
  • Don Wilson

    You switch to another operating system because the application isn’t updated?

    Doesn’t seem likely to me.

  • kozmcrae

    “Sounds to me like the DOT is whining…”

    This customer isn’t whining, they’re making an informed decision. I suspect there was an unseen flurry of e-mails back and forth between the DOT and Microsoft. It looks like Microsoft’s last e-mail ended something like this “That’s the way we do business. If you don’t like it, then leave it”. That’s the most arrogance I could muster, but I’m sure Microsoft did much better than that.

    So the DOT has discovered what more and more enterprises are finding out. Microsoft’s business model is not complementary, it’s parasitic.

  • it_sysadmin

    remember now… we’re not talking about a hundred PC’s or less. We’re talking thousands, or possibly tens of thousands of workstations across the country. The deployment and costs involved with rolling out MS Vista would be horrendous.

    Then, there’s the hardware compatibility issue. Say what you want, but we all know that aging PC’s (up to 8 years old) won’t run MS Vista. And if you’ve worked in a government facility (I have), the chances of upgrading your hardware to the MS Vista spec is practically impossible.

    Also… the software applications in question. It is SO easy and brainless to simply suggest that they “upgrade” the DOT programs so that they’re compatible for MS Vista, right?

    This is where we separate the home PC enthusiasts from the real working world. Some of these applications could possibly been compiled 20+ years ago, and in some cases… the original source code is lost. Or the amount of work required to recompile their aging programs to something like .NET would be impossible.

    Ask a systems admin or analyst how much time would it take to “upgrade” a networked application that is in use across the country by millions of users, often simultaneously. See how popular these assumptions are from their point of view.

    And don’t get me started on Microsoft’s Software Licensing plans. If you deal with MS Licensing in a corporate or government environment, you’ll know the pain.

  • morepowerr

    At lest linux is one why to make sure M$ is not helping them selfs to any info they want. I just have a hard time buying the “NO NO we don’t have any hidden back doors crap). From a company not willing do show there source.

    With open source you can find & fit a problem quick. With close source stuff it could never be fixed. No one would know but the dev & the 3rd world country he/she sold the back doors client to. So they could spy on the government.

  • http://www.osground.com Drew

    I think Microsoft mis-counted the part where some applications aren’t compatible. Bill Gates should slap his forehead now… Even Mac OSX update, they make sure all the applications available upgrade together, see! With such a big coporate having such a mistake is really naive honestly…

    All my friends don’t want to upgrade to Vista now, just because the hardwares and applications thingy…

  • http://www.ecrditrepair.info kamy

    Anything that cuts the market share of M$ and satisfies their business practices is ok in my book

  • Carlos

    and at the same time the UK is moving to Windows For Warships
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/26/windows_boxes_at_sea/

  • Mark

    I agree with IT here I work in a medium sized school district and even with roughly 500 computers it is still a large pain to keep everything maintained and upgrading to vista specs would be near impossible

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