Tue - April 19, 2005

Update: Grants.gov Mac Discrimination


I received a letter from Senator Kent Conrad today with, hopefully, some good news regarding the federal government's discrimination of mac users in the submission of grant applications. According to Senator Conrad, "grants.gov is aware of the problem and is working to fix the issue". Continue on to read the entire letter. I have also heard back from an employee from the Research Computing Higher Education group at Apple who assures me that senior execs at Apple have now become "acutely aware of this issue" in response to my inquiry. Please spread the word and let's make some changes! WRITE TO YOUR LEGISLATORS. Thanks.

<UPDATE: Senator Barbara Boxer responds to the inquiry from a constituent in California>

            . . . Continued

Posted:11:42 AM   Home   eMail:

Sat - March 19, 2005

Federal Government Discriminates against Mac Users


I have come to learn that all grant applications to the federal government will soon be required to use a new electronic submission system. I applaud this move. However, the system that has been developed at grants.gov prohibits anyone from applying who is not using Microsoft Windows. This means all research proposals to the National Institutes of Health, DOE, DOD, etc. etc. must utilize a Windows-only forms viewing software in order to be submitted. In this age of multiple cross-platform options (web-forms, PDF) this restriction against Mac or Linux users is completely unacceptable. I have taken the time to compose a letter with my views on this matter and I have forwarded it to my legislators. I hope you will do the same. Here is a PDF copy of my open letter to anyone who can add a voice to this discrimination. openletter.pdf Continue on for the full text in HTML.

UPDATE HERE

            . . . Continued

Posted:03:33 PM   Home   eMail:


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