Posted on 06/08/2011 5:10:57 AM PDT by ShadowAce
An interesting conversation arose over my post, “The Increasingly Irrelevant Desktop OS,” that I placed over on LinkedIn in one of the Virtualization groups. One of the conversations trickled toward the issue of control. The excerpt from that thread reads, “I can see consumers not needing an OS for most of their daily activities. Web browsing, mail and streaming multimedia can all be done from a centralized location. Other than that, I do not see professionals giving up their OS of choice any time soon. That would simply involve giving up too much control.”
True.
Giving up control of one’s own desktop operating system is sort of like allowing someone to fly you across country in a plane or to drive you from the airport to your hotel. It’s almost as if by giving up some of that need for control that other people could have decent jobs. That and the fact that it’s less expensive than doing it yourself. The loss of control, however, is devastating regardless of cost.
It’s funny how many IT support people, managers and corporate types believe that they need some sort of localized control over their operating systems, infrastructures and applications. I’m not sure what it is about computing that makes people feel like they must maintain ultimate control over these resources but it is an across-the-board attitude. It’s very odd. It’s odd and overrated. It’s also a very expensive attitude to have.
And, as the reader clearly states, “…not needing an OS for most of their daily lives,” it’s a control issue, “That would simply involve giving up too much control,” rather than a need or technology issue.
So, what he and so many companies are saying is, “Yes, we realize that maintaining legacy desktops is very expensive but we prefer to keep control by paying more for support, dealing with security problems, removing malware and viruses and maintaining various operating environment.
Awesome and shortsighted.
It seems to me that if someone wants to gain control of desktops, that he would actually embrace virtualized desktops (VDI) because of the higher level of control. Yes, there’s far more control in VDI than in trying to maintain dozens, hundreds or thousands of renegade desktops and laptops running around gathering malware, viruses and pirated software.
It’s all in your definition of control.
There’s apparently control and then there’s control.
No, I don’t know the difference either. It makes no sense that someone would want control and then snub VDI, when VDI is the ultimate solution for those control freaks who claim that ultimate control is required. You have centralized management, simplified patching, guaranteed storage of user files, infinite possibilities for spying on users through logs and an immediate remedy when a worker’s contract expires or employment terminates.
Why bother with that kind of control, when you can allow the terminated user to continue to have access to corporate data on that local computer?
And, yes, I’ve heard all of the arguments against cloud-based desktops and VDI. For example, “What happens when you don’t have Internet access?” My answer is to change locations. Surely, you’re mobile enough to head to a coffee shop, a restaurant, a library or friend’s house. If you’re telling me that you’re in some place that doesn’t have Internet access, then perhaps you should use that as “down time” and get some rest or use your computer for localized note taking until you return to civilization.
The issue of control is a ridiculous one to punt VDI into the dark and stormy future.
The money-saving aspect of VDI should provide enough impetus to at investigate the practicality of hosted desktops. Can you operate a localized desktop computer for $1/day? What about $3/day? Actually, the real cost of localized desktops is between $4/day and $5/day. My rule of thumb for estimating desktop costs was $800/year to $1,000/year. That was fifteen years ago.
But, let’s say for a moment that cost is still the same. That’s between $2/day and $3/day. That’s for each system.
And, prices for hosted desktops will fall over time and as more competition enters the market. Within two years, you’ll be able to “lease” hosted desktops for 50 cents/day or less. Amazon’s cloud system and storage prices have dropped steadily, since its offerings first appeared a few short years ago.
Your outdated attitudes toward VDI and hosted desktops is, well, outdated. It’s time to gain real control of the spiraling costs and constant maintenance hassles. It’s time to update your desktops and your attitudes. Welcome to the second decade of the twenty-first century.
So, I’d love to hear the excuses of why your company isn’t jumping at the chance to convert those heavy and expensive desktops to lighter, hosted ones. Please, talk back and let me know.
The more centralized all of our information access is, the easier it will be for the progressives to gain control over it.
...so let's re-embrace a concept we finally managed to get rid of after the 1970s.
In all seriousness, there are times when a centralized model works, and times when a localized solution works better. The trick is: knowing when to use each, and how to mix the two.
There are certain things you have to give up control for--like the examples he mentioned (airplanes, taxis, etc). But a tool that is in my own house?
Never!
Wanting control ? Try having updates applied to your PC which render it unusable for doing your development work. Depends on how well that “centralized administration” works.
If you don’t have demanding deadlines, it’s fine, take a break, find another machine when your machine is wacked.
If you do have deadlines, you’d rather get all updates done at the point where you’ve finished important work and are “in between” major projects or tasks.
Even the centralized control of the organization you work for can be tricky. I tend to leave my work machine on overnight/weekends due to something running on it. When I come in in the morning, and find it's not running anymore because the management decided to update/reboot the machines connected, it can be frustrating.
Good points. Kinda reminds me of the light rail freaks that want it regardless of reality.
What about database and app servers. hah ! You’d have all your users with NOTHING if you let somebody hose your server with some idiotic update that you didn’t ask for.
It’s like people don’t understand that things need to be tested prior to happening in PRODUCTION.
Ah, people auto-update all over nowadays.
Whatever, right ? just be there to pick up the pieces when they fall on their face. get your backup set up right and make sure it’s ok.
As someone who works in an insanely large organization whose IT resources are at least 80 percent centrally controlled, I can say that these people are correct. Don't listen to this dingelheimer. Give up control at your own peril.
MORONS.
Some people do more than check email and cruise the web for porn.
Some of us game, or even *shock* use Visual Studio to do programming or other complex tasks.
Could these asswipes PLEASE kill themselves?
Hopefully, the author is young and can be forgiven for his callous ignorance.
The logic of OS and computer control is simple. People should have first right of ownership and control of what they produce on a computer.
His logic is akin to outlawing private holdings of cash and precious metals.
The people who write these articles give zero thought to how others may be using these very general-purpose machines.
It's like saying we don't need Corvettes, Porsches or F-150s because most people just commute to work at 55mph, and we don't need the speed or carrying capacity of those other vehicles.
Your response sounds a little flat because liberal control thieves actually do say that stuff too! You can't even use it as an absurdly extreme example.
Yeah, I know they say that stuff, too. I just gotta believe that even they know it’s a weak argument. Otherwise, they’re too stupid to maintain their own nervous system.
Ah, what a relaxing thought....piles of dead busybodies along the road because they were too stupid to remember to breathe....Ahhhhhhh. Stinky, but only till you burn the bodies.
People really are getting dumber all the time.
It's time to kiss my ass.
Very well put! LOL!
Thanks for the ping.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.