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My only problem with this article is it frames it in consumer terms which obscures the point. The military would never use iOS because the Military demands com

My only problem with this article is it frames it in consumer terms which obscures the point. The military would never use iOS because the Military demands complete obedience from their contractors and Apple would never give them that. What's interesting is they aren't using proprietary software from Microsoft. Microsoft has a history of bending over backwards for Military contracts and I have no doubt they did everything in their power to get Windows Embedded on these phones. So the fact that Android won out shows proprietary software can't count on guaranteed government contracts like it used to.

gte910h 16y ago
The military loves using open source software.
- TomOfTTB 16y ago
  It depends what you mean by that. The military requires companies hand over their source code for security reasons anyway. So even Windows is open source to the Military (though in fairness it's also available to other select partners).
  - lucasjung 16y ago
    Not true. Sometimes, contracts are written such that the contractor must provide all of its source code to the military. In these cases, DoD pays a significant premium. As budgets tighten, this practice has become less and less common. Nowdays it's typically only done if there is an expectation that the code will be used, built upon, and modified for a significant length of time, in which case it would be cost-effective for the government to own the code so that they can bid out future work competitively.
    - TomOfTTB 16y ago
      I'm sorry but I just don't believe that. I'm not calling you a liar since you (or I) could have heard wrong but the simple fact is there's too many ways for a software program to mine data for the Military not to at least look at the source code before deploying it. So I can't see them implementing closed source software
      - lucasjung 16y ago
        The military gets to conduct Information Assurance (IA) reviews. These are tightly controlled so that only the IA reviewers get to look at the source code, and they are bound by heavy-duty NDAs. This gives DoD the opportunity to be sure that the code is safe, without giving them free reign to do as they please with the code. This process most definitely does not give the government the ability to treat the code as "open source," in the sense that one can freely modify, reuse, or re-purposing open source code.
      - lucasjung 15y ago
        I learned it here: http://www.dau.mil http://www.dau.mil So if anyone "heard wrong," it was you.
- orijing 16y ago
  That's what I would think, but what about the danger that it means foreign governments (potential rogue regimes) have access to the same source?
  - vetinari 16y ago
    Foreign goverments have access to the same closed-source products too. For exactly the same reasons.

gte910h 16y ago

The military loves using open source software.

TomOfTTB 16y ago
It depends what you mean by that. The military requires companies hand over their source code for security reasons anyway. So even Windows is open source to the Military (though in fairness it's also available to other select partners).
- lucasjung 16y ago
  Not true. Sometimes, contracts are written such that the contractor must provide all of its source code to the military. In these cases, DoD pays a significant premium. As budgets tighten, this practice has become less and less common. Nowdays it's typically only done if there is an expectation that the code will be used, built upon, and modified for a significant length of time, in which case it would be cost-effective for the government to own the code so that they can bid out future work competitively.
  - TomOfTTB 16y ago
    I'm sorry but I just don't believe that. I'm not calling you a liar since you (or I) could have heard wrong but the simple fact is there's too many ways for a software program to mine data for the Military not to at least look at the source code before deploying it. So I can't see them implementing closed source software
    - lucasjung 16y ago
      The military gets to conduct Information Assurance (IA) reviews. These are tightly controlled so that only the IA reviewers get to look at the source code, and they are bound by heavy-duty NDAs. This gives DoD the opportunity to be sure that the code is safe, without giving them free reign to do as they please with the code. This process most definitely does not give the government the ability to treat the code as "open source," in the sense that one can freely modify, reuse, or re-purposing open source code.
    - lucasjung 15y ago
      I learned it here: http://www.dau.mil http://www.dau.mil So if anyone "heard wrong," it was you.
orijing 16y ago
That's what I would think, but what about the danger that it means foreign governments (potential rogue regimes) have access to the same source?
- vetinari 16y ago
  Foreign goverments have access to the same closed-source products too. For exactly the same reasons.