Governments Get Some Sun

Grok Headline matches for Governments Get Some Sun

Why can't governments apologize?

Why can't governments apologize? 05/27/2004 10:57 PM

Why is it that governments have so much trouble admitting that they've made mistakes?  Let's take the U.S. government, for example.  Right now we have troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.  We don't seem to be achieving our goals or be welcome in either place.  Why can't we apologize sincerely and go home?

In Afghanistan the U.S. spent a huge amount of effort trying to thwart Soviet control in the late 1970s.  Jimmy Carter sent all kinds of money and weapons to the Islamic rebels so that they could kill Russian kids in uniform.  In retrospect this seems like a bad mistake.  If the Afghanistan had been a Russian possession there would never have been a Taliban and perhaps never an Osama bin-Laden or September 11th.  Could we offer a sincere apology today to the Russians and offer Afghanistan back to them?

Saddam Hussein seems to be alive and well.  The Iraqi people don't like us, if newspaper articles and armed resistance are to be believed.  Why not say to Saddam "We were wrong about your weapons programs and we're sorry for invading and here's your country back?"  Our troops could get on planes in Baghdad and wave goodbye to a restored Saddam.  (We might want to split off an area in the north and give it to the Kurds since we made them some promises back in the early 1990s and it would be good to keep them.)

Governments do this with wrongly convicted criminals.  We say "Sorry for your 15 years in jail.  We didn't have DNA testing back then.  Enjoy the rest of your life."  Why not do this in foreign policy instead of trying to come up with contorted ex-post-facto justifications?

Governments vote against Microsoft

Governments vote against Microsoft 01/22/2004 02:11 PM
Government customers contribute just a fraction of Microsoft's revenue but cause disproportionate headaches for the company through defections to Linux and open source. Will the urge spread to business customers?

EU governments mull over treaty

EU governments mull over treaty 05/17/2004 03:08 AM
Governments in the European Union enter a key phase in negotiations for a new constitutional treaty.

ICANN Doesn't Censor, Governments Do

ICANN Doesn't Censor, Governments Do 06/05/2005 11:44 PM
Corante Jun 4 2005 3:00PM GMT

Microsoft lets governments into Office

Microsoft lets governments into Office 09/19/2004 05:44 PM
The productivity package is added to the program that allows governments to see Microsoft source code.

Microsoft and Accenture target
governments

Microsoft and Accenture target
governments 05/26/2004 10:45 AM
Infomatics May 26 2004 2:39PM GMT

Microsoft opens up Office - to
governments

Microsoft opens up Office - to
governments 09/20/2004 06:53 AM
The Register Sep 20 2004 11:31AM GMT

Microsoft opens up Office for
governments

Microsoft opens up Office for
governments 09/20/2004 01:28 PM
silicon.com Sep 20 2004 5:11PM GMT

Europeans Punish Governments in Vote

Europeans Punish Governments in Vote 06/13/2004 06:18 PM
Europeans from Estonia to Portugal also sent a strong message of apathy by largely staying away from polling stations.

Governments pass a message to Microsoft

Governments pass a message to Microsoft 01/22/2004 03:24 PM
ZDNet Jan 22 2004 7:17PM GMT

Growth of Linux in Business and
Governments

Growth of Linux in Business and
Governments 03/30/2005 11:31 AM

Microsoft to Brief Governments on
Security Threats

Microsoft to Brief Governments on
Security Threats 02/05/2005 09:15 PM
In an effort to fend off the growing threat of governments considering open source software due to continued security flaws in Windows, Microsoft has launched a new initiative to keep governmental organizations in the loop. Through its Security Cooperation Program, Microsoft will provide information on vulnerabilities not yet available to the public.

Microsoft gives governments a more open
Office

Microsoft gives governments a more open
Office 09/21/2004 08:14 AM
Computer Business Review Sep 21 2004 12:44PM GMT

Microsoft to Share Code With Governments

Microsoft to Share Code With Governments 09/21/2004 12:56 AM
Washington Post Sep 21 2004 3:32AM GMT

The Open Source Dilemma for Governments

The Open Source Dilemma for Governments 01/05/2004 02:51 PM
Sam Hiser writes "Tom Adelstein, open source consultant and Member of the Open Government Interoperability Project ("OGIP") working group, offers another ...

Does Google help governments censor
results?

Does Google help governments censor
results? 04/30/2004 02:12 AM

Wired Magazine, January 2003

Brin was no expert on international diplomacy. So he ordered a half-dozen books about Chinese history, business, and politics on Amazon.com and splurged on overnight shipping. He consulted with Schmidt, Page, and David Drummond, Google's general counsel and head of business development, then put in a call to tech industry doyenne Esther Dyson for advice and contacts. Google has no offices in China, so Brin enlisted go-betweens to get the message to Chinese authorities that Google would be very interested in working out a compromise to restore access. "We didn't want to do anything rash," Brin says. "The situation over there is more complex than I had imagined."

Four days later, Chinese authorities restored access to the site. How did that happen? For starters, the Chinese government was deluged with outcries from the nation's 46 million Internet users when access to Google was cut off. "Internet users in China are an apolitical crowd," says Xiao Qiang, executive director of New York-based Human Rights In China. "They tend to be people who are doing well, and they don't usually voice strong views. But this stepped into their digital freedom."

The quick workaround: Chinese authorities tweaked the national firewall, making the new Google China different from the site that was turned off. Today, Chinese who use Google to search on terms like "falun gong" or "human rights in china" receive a standard-looking results page. But when they click on any of the results, either their browsers are redirected to a blank or government-approved page, or their computers are blocked from accessing Google for an hour or two. "They have a new mechanism that can block the results of certain searches," Brin says. Did Google help China find or obtain the filtering technology? "We didn't make changes to our servers" is all he'll say.

via google-watch.org

S eth Finkelstein describes how Google self-censorship works. Also, Jonathan Zittrain and Benjamin Edelman of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Law School have a paper on Localized Google search result exclusions which is quite interesting.

I can understand from a business perspective why Google would do this, but whenever I bring this up with people they deny it or can't believe it.

Does anyone else have any more information on this?

PS This has nothing to do with trying to hurt Google or their IPO. I've been trying to figure this out for the last few weeks and have reached a dead end in my research so I'm trying to understand more. How companies like this work with governments and how this information is then disclosed is very important.

Microsoft provides Office source code to
governments

Microsoft provides Office source code to
governments 09/20/2004 07:09 AM
Facing growing competition from open source software providers, Microsoft Corp. has decided to allow governments and international organizations access to source code for its Office 2003 productivity suite.

Microsoft to Share Source Code With
Governments

Microsoft to Share Source Code With
Governments 09/21/2004 08:41 AM
Microsoft Corp. announced this week it is making the programming code for its Office 2003 software suite available to government agencies around the globe, a move partly aimed at allowing them to inspect the product for flaws and security problems. Though Microsoft usually guards such software coding tightly, the step is an extension of an initiative the company began in January 2003 giving about 60 governments access to the inner workings of the Windows operating system. This is the first time the software giant has shared the source code for Office, which includes the Word text processing, Excel spreadsheet, and PowerPoint presentation programs.

Microsoft Reveals Office Code to
Governments

Microsoft Reveals Office Code to
Governments 09/20/2004 03:19 PM
The move is part of its Government Security Program, but some in the open source community aren't buying it.

Shared Office Code Unlikely to Sway
Governments

Shared Office Code Unlikely to Sway
Governments 09/22/2004 04:36 PM
Government officials say Microsoft's move to share the source code for Office 2003 won't change anyone's mind about Microsoft or open source.

Governments rebel against Microsoft,
line up for Linux

Governments rebel against Microsoft,
line up for Linux 08/12/2004 08:04 AM
Enylson Camolesi has only to look at his teen-age daughter to understand the challenges of overcoming addiction. He’s gently trying to help her kick the habit, grimly aware that the difficult task at home is what he’s attempting to replicate, on a massive scale, throughout the Brazilian government. Stopping cold turkey may not be an option, but they hope that with time and patience, Brazil’s bureaucrats can be weaned off their dependence on Microsoft Corp. and made to switch to free operating systems such as Linux. A workshop here in May for 2,000 government employees was a modest start.

More EU Governments Upset Over Their
Ministers' Vote On Patents

More EU Governments Upset Over Their
Ministers' Vote On Patents 07/07/2004 09:09 PM
Yesterday, we noted that the Dutch Parliament had told their representative in the European Council to change his vote on the topic of softwar e patents, after they realized what was really voted for, and how that minister gave them incorrect information (which he somehow blamed on a "word processing error"). Now, it appears that the governments of other EU nations are similarly troubled by the supposed votes from their ministers. Germany claims their minister voted against their wishes, while Poland claims their minister was never actually asked to vote on the final version of the offering. Some are now hoping that these questions will at least force the Council to reconsider the issue, which, on the whole would be a good thing.

Microsoft Opens Office to Governments
(NewsFactor)

Microsoft Opens Office to Governments
(NewsFactor) 09/20/2004 03:25 PM
NewsFactor - Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is opening the door to its Office suite, offering governments a closer look inside key applications.

'A gigantic mistake' if governments set
Internet policy

'A gigantic mistake' if governments set
Internet policy 03/06/2004 01:50 AM
SABC Mar 6 2004 1:48AM GMT

EU probes procurement deals between
governments, Intel

EU probes procurement deals between
governments, Intel 04/22/2004 06:30 AM
San Jose Mercury News Apr 22 2004 11:09AM GMT

Governments Across Southeast Asia Work
to Contain Bird Flu

Governments Across Southeast Asia Work
to Contain Bird Flu 01/25/2004 10:56 PM
Provincial governments in west central Thailand dispatched hundreds of soldiers and prisoners on Sunday to slaughter chickens in flocks infected with avian influenza.

OpenOffice Finds Sweet Spot with
Governments

OpenOffice Finds Sweet Spot with
Governments 01/02/2004 07:17 AM
The State of Israel is the latest government to shun Microsoft's software in favor of the OOo's open source tools.

Microsoft, BearingPoint team to target
governments

Microsoft, BearingPoint team to target
governments 05/17/2004 11:45 AM
Microsoft Corp. is teaming with systems integration and consulting firm BearingPoint Inc. to deliver a set of software and services packages aimed at governments.

EU investigating Intel chip sales to
governments

EU investigating Intel chip sales to
governments 04/21/2004 10:37 PM
San Francisco Chronicle Apr 22 2004 2:30AM GMT

Governments get access to Office source
code

Governments get access to Office source
code 09/20/2004 04:34 AM
ZDNet UK Sep 20 2004 7:25AM GMT

Microsoft courts governments in strategy
shift

Microsoft courts governments in strategy
shift 05/28/2004 12:34 PM
Having faced high-profile antitrust cases in both the U.S. and European Union (E.U.), Microsoft Corp. may not immediately spring to mind as governments' favored friend. So it is perhaps not surprising that the software giant has waged a quiet campaign in recent months to change its image from that of monopolist to "good corporate citizen."

Microsoft Woos Southeast Asia
Governments

Microsoft Woos Southeast Asia
Governments 06/06/2004 02:10 PM
AP via Daily Press Jun 6 2004 7:05PM GMT

Governments must evaluate, manage and
partner with vendors

Governments must evaluate, manage and
partner with vendors 11/04/2003 10:34 PM
Computer Weekly Nov 4 2003 9:59PM ET

Microsoft to explore cheap software with
Asian governments

Microsoft to explore cheap software with
Asian governments 06/30/2004 12:59 AM
Manila Bulletin Jun 30 2004 4:41AM GMT

Microsoft to provide Office source code
to governments

Microsoft to provide Office source code
to governments 09/20/2004 04:31 PM
In a bid to fend off competition from open-source software providers, Microsoft will allow governments and international organizations access to the source code for its Office 2003 productivity suite.

Microsoft to Share Source Code With
Governments (washingtonpost.com)

Microsoft to Share Source Code With
Governments (washingtonpost.com) 09/20/2004 10:50 PM
washingtonpost.com - Microsoft Corp. announced this week it is making the programming code for its Office 2003 software suite available to government agencies around the globe, a move partly aimed at allowing them to inspect the product for flaws and security problems.

Governments to get peek at Microsoft
Office source code

Governments to get peek at Microsoft
Office source code 09/21/2004 01:11 PM
Microsoft will allow governments to view the source code for Office 2003 as part of its Government Security Program.

Growth Slows In IT Outsourcing By Local
And State Governments

Growth Slows In IT Outsourcing By Local
And State Governments 12/28/2004 03:41 PM
Information Week Dec 28 2004 7:33PM GMT

Microsoft to give governments advance
security info

Microsoft to give governments advance
security info 02/05/2005 09:36 PM
Similar to a program offered to Premium business customers, Microsoft will start giving government IT departments advance warning on security bugs and patches. Will this new initiative help stave off switches to open source solutions?
Grok Description matches for Governments Get Some Sun
GrokA matches for Governments Get Some Sun

Governments Get Some Sun

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