![[F]](/Images/i7/site.gif)
TidBITS 
TidBITS TidBITS Talk
Forced to use Microsoft OS to get and submit Federal grants
![[Schatz, Paul N.]](/webx/?30@@1)
Paul N. Schatz - 07:51am Apr 22, 2005 PSTGuest User
This is Part 9 of the series. If you go to this url and do
a Find on the phrase "Grants.gov", you will hit the start of
the thread (April 14) which is continuing.
The
gist of it is that Grants.gov has become the
single access-point for all grants from the Federal government.
Unfortunately , Grants.gov has a contract with a vendor called
PureEdge that provides Microsoft-only solutions.
The sop to the Mac community is the grotesque requirement
that Virtual PC be used. Initial tests show that VPC is a fiasco
when used on this site. No provision appears to have been made
for Linux (or other unix) operating systems. In effect, the use of single vendor proprietary solutions that
exclude users of every other operating system except Microsoft is
tantamount to the Government enforcing the monopoly practices of
Microsoft.
Inquiries are answered by vague phrases like "we are
working on other solutions," etc., but in fact it appears that
the new system may go into operation as early as May of this year, and
it also appears that Pure Edge does not have the expertise to provide
"other solutions."
Mac
people should scream bloody murder. More important, members of
Congress should be contacted. This has started to happen, but it
needs reinforcing.
Paul
--
--
Paul Schatz
Chem Dept
University of Virginia
angus (apparently)
-
Apr 22, 2005 11:04 am
(#1 Total: 3)
|
 |
|
|
|
| Posts: 53 |
IIRC, the US government has a requirement that all systems be
accessible to both Mac and Windows. It was from a few years ago, and
I have absolutely no details, but google might turn up something.
Steve
|
|
 | |
Kerry Hughes
-
Apr 23, 2005 8:48 am
(#2 Total: 3)
|
|
|
|
|
| Posts: 1 |
Re: Forced to use Microsoft OS to get and submit Federal grants
On a related note, are there any hardware based PC emulation products around anymore for Mac OS X - a "PC on a board" that would offer better performance than virtualization?
Kerry
|
|
| |
kevinv (apparently)
-
Apr 25, 2005 8:38 am
(#3 Total: 3)
|
|
|
|
|
| Posts: 1399 |
Re: Forced to use Microsoft OS to get and submit Federal grants
--On April 22, 2005 11:04:47 AM -0700 "Stephen A. Cochran"
<stephen.a.cochran.lists  cahir.net> wrote:
> IIRC, the US government has a requirement that all systems be accessible
> to both Mac and Windows. It was from a few years ago, and I have
> absolutely no details, but google might turn up something.
The US government has specific standards on how pages are laid so the pages
are accessible via accessiblity devices. I don't see browser neutrality
specifically listed here, but it would certainly seem to apply.
< http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm>
The forms control section would appear to be pertinent. As well as the
text-only section:
"A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be
provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of these standards,
when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the
text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes."
Kevin
|
|
|
TidBITS TidBITS TidBITS Talk Forced to use Microsoft OS to get and submit Federal grants
