MS Office for free?

[HooverPilot]

Quick question for the educated ones... I have always hear that by being in the Navy I can have 4 programs on my home computer from the Navy.
1. Anti virus software
2. NavFit
3. Microsoft Office
4. PFPS

I know the first 2 are true because I have them, but I was asking the ADP people about MS Office the other day and they looked at me like I was a freak. Anyone have any insight? Thanks!

 

[Gatordev]

I hadn't heard that before, but if you go to http://infosec.navy.mil (I think...it's something close to that) from a DOD computer (NMCI is fine), then you could poke around and see. I can't remember the classification of PFPS, isn't that Confidential? Or maybe it was just always on a Secret computer. Or maybe I'm just confusing it with SLAP.

Whatever, that's why I had Ops guys to do those things for me.

 

[E5B]

I've been trying to find a supposed disk that's floating around the sqdn so I can have PFPS and SLAP at home.

Power Pt would be nice also

 

[Fly Navy]

PFPS is not classified, at least the versions they give us. Nice program, though I need to get the updated database for mine.

 

[hlriver]

I know that USAF personnel can buy MS office 2003 for like $20.00. We don't get that hook up...

 

[Brett327]

I know the Navy certainly isn't licenced to issue MS Office for people to use at home, but there is always some enterprising JO with the install CD, so everyone ends up with it. As for PFPS, it is inherently UNCLASS, but can become classified based on what kinds of info you put on it. Lots of people use that at home as well and there is usually an install disk around the squadron. PFPS comes (at least last time I checked) with an older version of SLAP, but there should be something within the program that shows you how to upgrade.

Brett

 

[HooverPilot]

Ok, after a bunch of research I've pretty well determined that it is an urban legend. I e-mailed the guys at infosec.navy.mil and they hear the question frequently. It's funny that 1/2 the wardroom JO's had heard this also. I guess it didn't help that the ADP guys at my last squadron did provide the install discs on request. But with NMCI there are no instal discs anymore. Thanks!

 

[Gatordev]

Yeah, NMCI strikes again. The other issue w/ the newest MS programs is that you have to register them to activate them, so when you try to activate one copy it sees it's a different computer and asks why you're installing it on more than one machine. Or at least that was my experience w/ Office XP (and of course the OS XP Pro).

 

[squeeze]

do people actually pay for major software packages like windows or office or photoshop?

but seriously...

PFPS is downloadable online, but for planning sake, it's not too useful w/o the right profiles uploaded. I guess you could just make strip charts or maps of certain areas, but for actual flight planning, it'd be limited w/o the natops-based data in it for your particular a/c.

 

[Brett327]

do people actually pay for major software packages like windows or office or photoshop?

but seriously...

PFPS is downloadable online, but for planning sake, it's not too useful w/o the right profiles uploaded. I guess you could just make strip charts or maps of certain areas, but for actual flight planning, it'd be limited w/o the natops-based data in it for your particular a/c.

In my experience, that's all you really need for flight planning. I know the default EA-6B profile works just fine for that and we don't modify it at the squardron. We use a whole different system for the reall mission planning stuff (kind of like TAMPS, but "special").

Brett