Comments on: Horrible mistake by NS Portal admins/writers

By: Ryu

Ryu — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:16:20 +0000

Wah my god! Didn’t know I got tomorrowed until I was informed by someone. This is the first time that I have so many comments here!

To all who pointed out that OpenOffice is now used all across SAF: Sorry about the bad mistake. As you can tell, I no longer have any relations with the SAF since my ORD almost 4 years back. I was using Office 97 on Windows 95 all the way (till 2004!), and from what I know then there were absolutely no plans to switch to OpenOffice in the “near future”.

To all who pointed out that I am a fanboy: Yeah. I’m one big fanboy and proud of it. So? There are some of us who totally don’t mind the tag you know. ^_^

To all who pointed out that my email was too harsh: Yeah, I was quite rash in posting that email when I saw the article, so am relatively apologetic for my tone in that email. Sorry to it in SAF who is hurt by those comments.

I’m pretty wowed by the information on open-source stuff in SAF! Kudos to them for changing the entire IT landscape in less than 4 years! Then again, who will know if they are not just trying to save more money? One of the reasons they even thought of scraping Windows 95 only in 2004, was that support will be terminated by Microsoft, and if they could keep Windows 95, they would, or so i was told by my authority. ^_^

Makes you wonder where all the extra money from the increased GST and other crap goes to?

Oh I forgot. Our ministers got pay hikes. Much much higher than their US counterparts.

By: darkholme

darkholme — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:14:27 +0000

Kudos to the email writer for spotting the mistake on the website. I’ve noticed that the picture has since been replaced by a more generic image.

Just wanted to say though, that I felt the email writer was a tad harsh in his/her comments. After all, everyone makes mistakes once in while and granted this is really a major boo boo, maybe we can forgive those unenlightened non-Mac users?
Anyway, just wanted to point out one mistake in the email. MINDEF/SAF does not use exclusively Microsoft software. Presently, the main office productivity tool used is OpenOffice (please see http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=699), and a couple of other open source technologies are also being used - Freemind and Open Workbench. So yeah, MINDEF/SAF isn’t Microsoft exclusive
Cheers.

By: Farooq

Farooq — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:55:04 +0000

It is not as egregious a mistake as this guy’s ranting it out to be. It shows incompetence on the part of the author but that’s pretty much it. There was no need to go on a verbal tirade of Mac vs. Microsoft vs. Linux…well unless ure a fanboy…hmmmm

By: jp

jp — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:43:49 +0000

Yes! Absurb and unaccebtable!

By: Jermyn

Jermyn — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:11:51 +0000

guess what..
they changed it
hahha

By: RELAX!

RELAX! — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:28:01 +0000

wah lau this guy should relax lar… I didnt know Mac club was a subsidiary of the Anal and Uptight Fanboy Club..

By: themediaslut

themediaslut — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:03:59 +0000

There is another irony to it.

Most SAF computers use Open Office software.

http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=699

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:01:26 +0000

I’m a Mac user myself, but this is typical zealotry that gives us a bad name. The SAF’s use of Microsoft software? Keynote isn’t open-source either.

By: wee

wee — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 05:48:37 +0000

absurd

By: Sooty

Sooty — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 05:26:11 +0000

“Such a mistake is totally unacceptable even if it is made in an environment, which, one can argue, is free from any knowledge of Mac software since the armed forces uses exclusively Microsoft software, instead of promoting open-source alternatives.”

AFAIK, SAF uses OpenOffice.org now