Digital Government

Laptops and TSA inspections: Everybody's got a story

Readers respond to a story about the travails of getting a laptop PC through airport security with a few tales—and opinions—of their own.

Modernization

PowerPoint combatants go at it again

One of the military's top leaders reignites a battle over the merits of the ubiquitous presentation software.

Digital Government

Can DOD really defeat PowerPoint?

Defense Department leaders have declared war on PowerPoint presentations, saying they dumb down complex scenarios and give the false illusion of control. But is there any escape from bad slideshows?

Modernization

Can DOD really defeat PowerPoint?

Defense Department leaders have declared war on PowerPoint presentations, saying they dumb down complex scenarios and give the false illusion of control. But is there any escape from bad slideshows?

Digital Government

Study finds a widening gap between best, worst congressional Web sites

The Congressional Management Foundation rated all 620 congressional Web sites on anywhere from 49 to 93 criteria and found what it called a digital divide on the Hill: The most common grades were A and F.

Digital Government

iPad reviews question office-readiness

Ease of use, speed and battery life must be weighed against missing functions, critics say.

Digital Government

Think you want an iPad? Read this first!

Everyone seems to want an iPad, but is it worth it? Early reviews paint a muddled picture of iPad's pros and cons.

Digital Government

Former TSA employee charged with infecting databases

A former Transportation Security Administration data analyst has beenn charged with injecting malicious code into two TSA databases last year, about a week before his employment was about to end.

Digital Government

With social media, should DOD go to the people, or should the people go to DOD?

Paul A. Strassman's recent column—arguing that DOD's social media policy doesn't do enough to address security—sparked a lively debate among readers, many of whom question whether DOD, or government in general, is suited to hosting social media sites.

Digital Government

DOD lifts ban on USB drives

The Defense Department has lifted its 15-month-old ban on USB drives and other portable media, a restriction that had proved to be unpopular as well as potentially unenforceable.

People

Will telework gain traction after record snowfalls?

The heavy snows of the past week should put a greater commitment to telework on the government’s front burner, to judge from the comments posted to our coverage. But many seem to fear that entrenched opposition will cause any push toward telework to fade as quickly as the snow.

Digital Government

The ’00 7: The decade’s most important tech advances

We select seven technologies that changed the game during the unofficial decade of 2000-2009.

Digital Government

In wake of TSA breach, a refresher on redacting PDFs

The exposure of the Transportation Security Administration's operations manual will likely prompt agnecies to review the National Security Agency's guidance on how to safely redact information from documents posted to the Web.

Modernization

Readers offer stuffing for IT turkey

Readers suggest a few projects that could have made our Thanksgiving list of failed, or deeply troubled, government IT projects and debate the causes of such large-scale failures.

Modernization

IT turkeys: 7 government projects worthy of a roast

Over the years, the American public has been gifted with its share of computer-based turkeys -- information technology projects gone wrong, often at spectacular expense.

Modernization

For some users, Windows 7 upgrade could take 20 hours

Tests conducted by Microsoft show that upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows 7 will be about 5 percent faster than previous upgrades involving Vista. But in certain situations, "faster" could mean more than 20 hours.

Modernization

6 must-have features for top-flight Web sites

Here are six goals that agency Web sites should shoot for if they want to be among the best.

Modernization

A few creative options for working without Word

If a deal isn't reached in the Microsoft Word patent infrigement case, what are the alternatives?