Grants.Gov Mac Users Need Not Apply Yet

Not in the short term, anyway; scientists and others who prefer Apple's computers to Windows will have to wait a year for full compatibility with the new website. Powerful defense contractor Northrup Grumman is constructing the reported how the new system won't be Mac-friendly for nearly a year, at minimum. That issue compelled the National Institute of Health to forestall offering electronic applications for grants in October. While being an inconvenient situation, the article cited one official's take on some good sides to the Grants.Gov site: Charles Havekost, chief information officer at the Health and Human Services Department, which helps manage Grants.gov, acknowledged that the system is "not perfect" but encouraged applicants to look at the positive side: They can go to one site and see every grant being offered by every federal agency, and use a standardized electronic form to start the process for most grants. Ultimately, the plan should reduce much of the voluminous paperwork associated with grant applications, and improve the process for the end-user. That doesn't make some users any happier right now, though. One blogger, Joseph Scott, The Grants.Gov site press release that reads the contract is actually worth $7 million over the five year period. We're trying to find out more about the discrepancy. UPDATE! A spokesperson for Northrop Grumman said the contract is now for about $22 million, not billion. document.write("Email Murdok here.") Drag this to your Bookmarks. Add to document.write("Del.icio.us") | Yahoo My Web David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.