Texas senator: Let's ban Windows Vista purchases

[The Straight Story]

Texas senator: Let's ban Windows Vista purchases
by Dave Rosenberg


Just when you thought our tax dollars and TARP funds were going out the window, a Texas senator added a provision to the state budget that would require state agencies to get written approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Windows Vista technology related to an operating system, equipment, or licenses.

My San Antonio News reports on the proposal, up for debate Wednesday:

The "rider" in the proposed two-year, $182.2 billion state budget--expected to be taken up Wednesday by the Texas Senate--would require state agencies to get written approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Vista technology related to an operating system, equipment, or licenses.

Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, added the provision in committee and said it's meant to block purchases of the technology, which has been targeted by criticism: "Don't buy it because it's not worth it."

The senator must have experienced one "blue screen of death" too many to want to force an entire state to reject Vista.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10209557-62.html

[tabatha]

1. Good for him. Vista should be completely rejected.

[Believing Is Art]

2. On one hand, this is completely ridiculous.

The other hand is typing on a mac.

[NeedleCast]

3. Block Tech that has been targeted by criticism?

Better qualify that, otherwise no electronic device will ever be purchased again.

[MrModerate]

4. Well, I don't like Linux, so I think that should be banned, too . . .

and Macs, while you're at it.

What piffle. Making laws about technology purchases by public agencies is just stupid grandstanding.

[TexasProgresive]

21. Considering all of the problems with Vista and that many

companies refuse to use it should make the Senator's rider a no-brainer. Save the state's money instead of having agencies buy a bad system that has to be upgraded in the future. Windows Vista is this decade's Windows Millennium.

[MrModerate]

23. [Making jaw-flapping motion with hand]

Piffle squared. Vista has been resisted by the marketplace for a bunch of reasons -- primarily because of its high hardware demands when there's so much drag on the acquisition of new equipment because of perfectly functional hardware already out there -- but not because it's more defective than any other major operating system. And, lest we forget, even with SP3, XP is profoundly obsolete, and poses major security hazards that Vista avoids.

This is just some bozo pol (I'm from Texas and I can tell one when I see one) trying to get a little air time by bashing Microsoft. Go ahead and bash away -- it's been an Olympic-candidate sport for years -- but, as I said before, the idea of putting technology purchase decisions in as law is just dumb as dirt. And, frankly, clear evidence of unseriousness.

[rwenos]

5. Evidence of Intelligent Life in Texas

With this new evidence of intelligent human life in Texas, I may have to rescind my membership in the separatist group Texas Republic.

I live in California, by the way. And I, too, have experienced one too many blue screens of death. When we bought my kid a new PC, I bought an OEM package of Windows XP Media Center for $120. Formatted the HDD before installing any software, reformatted and installed XP Media Center.

Vista has no redeeming social value.

[Cynical Guy]

6. That'll show 'em.

That's some ballsy legislation when we're 6 months from Vista being discontinued by Microsoft in lieu of Windows 7. No government agency buys single licenses of Vista, they buy OEM copies when they're preloaded on a Dell or HP (or Lenovo, or whatever)

When they go to buy in the 4th quarter of this year, they'll be buying Windows 7 based boxes.

What a waste of ink.

PS: Vista actually works fine when it's on the right kind of system. 8 year old computer? Not so much.

[BlueJazz]

7. Texea should wait a year and buy "7" (if they have to upgrade at all)

"7" is FAR better than Vista and even a little better than XP pro.

Pretty damn nice OP.

[babylonsister]

8. This is really, really funny. A target of criticism? What system hasn't been?

And he wants to replace it with...? (And no, I don't have a Mac)

[sam sarrha]

9. they dont even make XP anymore.... buy vista in bulk wouldnt cost much more

[billyoc]

10. A rare moment of Texan lucidity.

[Jack_DeLeon]

11. Sounds great, it would be a waste of money, wish we would switch to Ubuntu...

or some other form of Linux.

[tomreedtoon]

17. And have to reinstall Linux every week? No thanks.

Because every time the kernel is upgraded, you have to reinstall it, and try to find versions of your applications that will work with the new kernel. And repeat it again next week. This is fine for someone who's running servers and needs to keep busy, but for individuals Linux makes no sense.

It is not stupid for a government or business to ask for, and demand, a stable operating system that will run genuine software without problems. Windows XP is that - or would be that, if it were taken away from Microsoft, debugged and made public domain freeware. But Vista is not. It has been acknowledged as a failure by just about everyone.

[Jeep789]

12. WTF? Let's just ban anything anyone doesn't like

Now that would be a fair society.

[Elwood P Dowd]

13. Windoze has been banned in my house for 10 years.

Screw 'em, and screw Bush worshiping Michael Dell.

[backscatter712]

14. Actually a sane money-saving move!

Vista is a ridiculously expensive monstrosity. Not only is Vista itself expensive, it has high horsepower requirements, which require buying lots of new computers with faster processors, more memory and more hard disk space.

Windows XP or Linux is much cheaper, and runs well on older systems. And it's not a blanket ban - in cases where Vista is actually necessary for some reason or another, there's a clause that lets agencies get permission if they can justify it.

[davidinalameda]

15. signs of intelligent life in texas?

who would have thunk!

[slampoet]

16. Spoken like a Senator that has APPLE OFFICES in his district?

[tammywammy]

18. Um, he's in McAllen, Texas. n/t

[Elwood P Dowd]

19. Most repukes I know hate Apple because Al Gore is on their board

and Steve Jobs supports liberal causes. It drives them fucking insane. They do worship Michael Dell though, and praise his contributions to George W. Bush.

[Union Yes]

20. Texas:Desperately seeking a Windows 3.1 upgrade.

[cobalt1999]

22. A number of companies have the same rule

Most are waiting for Microsoft to release something decent before upgrading. Skipping the whole Vista debacle.