__/ [ Mark Kent ] on Saturday 24 March 2007 13:42 \__
> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>> __/ [ Mark Kent ] on Saturday 24 March 2007 07:20 \__
>>
>>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>>> AT&T IPTV now coming to your PC
>>>>
>>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>>| AT&T announced Thursday that its U-verse Internet Protocol television
>>>>| service will now allow subscribers to watch live programming on their
>>>>| PCs.
>>>>|
>>>>| [...]
>>>>|
>>>>| Access to the new OnTheGo service is limited to computers running the
>>>>| Windows XP operating system with Microsoft's Internet Explorer or
>>>>| Mozilla's Firefox browser.
>>>> `----
>>>>
>>>> http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6169627.html
>>>>
>>>
>>> Presumably this is because they bought the system from Microsoft?
>>
>> I think a lot of these choices (also Wal-mart and BBC in the OP) result
>> from ignorance or great pressure (maybe even incensives) from Microsoft.
>> It's a lockin. Lockins means business, but it hurts the customer.
>>
>
> A very large part of the problem is that often the very senior people
> are simply not technically competent enough to make the decisions they
> are making, but equally, often refuse to listen to their experts.
> Worse, large organisations tend to favour politically apt people over
> technically capable ones, so the senior layers have an inordinately
> large proportion of technically weak people. This is very fertile
> ground for companies like Microsoft, since they can eliminate the
> technically strong middle-management and go straight to the technically
> incompetent seniors instead. A few pretty slides and you're away...
Case of point:
NHS computer boss failed IT exams
,----[ Quote ]
| Mary Granger is amazed that her son was put in charge of a £20bn
| project to transform the NHS's computer system. She is less
| surprised that his 'Connecting for Health' project is over-budget,
| behind schedule and threatening to become the biggest IT disaster
| in history.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35685
Microsoft in the NHS
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is one of the key technology firms in the £6.2 billion NHS
| IT programme. It is working particularly closely with iSOFT ...
`----
http://www.e-health-insider.com/comment_and_analysis/index.cfm?ID=69
Prescription for an I.T. Disaster?
,----[ Quote ]
| In 2002, the British government embarked on a $12 billion effort to
| transform its health-care system with information technology. But
| the country's oversight agency now puts that figure at $24 billion,
| and two Members of Parliament say the project is "sleepwalking
| toward disaster."
`----
http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1540,2058194,00.asp
'Nuff said.
--
~~ Best wishes
Proprietary, lockin-based tools lead to regrets. Doc(umen)tor, heal thyself.
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