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PBS columnist: IT hates Macs because 'Macs reduce IT head count'
PBS's I, Cringely, the pulpit via MacDailyNews ^
| August 15, 2003
| Robert X. Cringely
Posted on 08/31/2003 3:15:26 AM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: CurlyDave
With OS X you just cant make a Mac crash. Sometimes a program will quit, but you just open the program again & continue.
I've been very happy with OS X. I have never gone so long (on either a Mac or a PC) without a problem (and, man, there were SO many problems with the HP running Windows 98 when I was in my thesis advisor's lab).
21
posted on
08/31/2003 5:23:09 AM PDT
by
aruanan
To: RnMomof7; CARepubGal
FYI ping
22
posted on
08/31/2003 5:23:50 AM PDT
by
Wrigley
To: Swordmaker
I'm an IT Manager in a shop of around 30 computers. It was an all Mac shop till '97, then we changed everything to NT4, it wasn't all wine and roses. In 2001 we upgraded to Win2k and have had no regrets.
Why would I want to support another OS now? I had a Mac only support agency for 10 years after pulling tech support on Macs and being involved with them since '84. For an easy to support system, they sure kept me busy and my family fed.
In my experience, Mac owners were their own worse enemy. Who needs hackers when Mac owners are willing to put any new trash piece of software on their system themselves.
Macs are a niche system with a loyal owner base in graphics/publishing/university. I doubt they will ever be welcomed in corporate America again.
BTW, I can load W2K and get a box on the network in about 30 minutes, what's the big deal?
23
posted on
08/31/2003 5:27:42 AM PDT
by
TC Rider
(The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
To: mass55th
I have always had Mac at home. I had to use PC at work. the last time I went into CompUSA to buy a computer, the clerk tried to sell me a PC. I finally got him to admit that he liked PCs because of the games. Like you, I find all the games I want, but to buy a computer just for games is very expensive.
24
posted on
08/31/2003 5:29:26 AM PDT
by
mathluv
To: Lonesome in Massachussets
My grandchildren love to use my Apple IIC.
25
posted on
08/31/2003 5:38:42 AM PDT
by
mathluv
To: Swordmaker
It's clear to me. PBS is smart, all businesses are dumb. Why are you dummies reading this when you could be listening to "All things Considered"?
To: Swordmaker
So what is the moral?
Buy PCs and save American jobs.
To: norwaypinesavage
my other problem with mac's is you have to *cough**buy**cough* software :) which is one reason i use linux they usually have free software that works as nicely as the paid for stuff. And occasionally i may procure some windows software. Take photoshop for instance........600 bucks just to mess around with it? I am never going to be a graphix artist and if i did happen to make a living at i would then fork over the money. I use gimp now anyway. But now that mac0s is bsd based there may be more free apps made for it
To: Kewlhand`tek
I agree with you that Linux is the best game in town.
On the topic of Windows complexity and bugginess, I have often heard allegations that were Microsoft to clean up its act, then the market for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) would dry up. That is a lucrative market and great incentive to keep Windows the way it is. Now if I were a conspiracy theorist...
29
posted on
08/31/2003 6:05:17 AM PDT
by
NCjim
To: Swordmaker
In the real world of the Internet Macs are pretty insignificant. Here is a breakdown of visits to my site for for August. That doesn't mean Macs shouldn't be a big player just that at present they aren't
Platform Visits %
1. Windows 2000 10,894 56.32%
2. Windows 98 5,615 29.02%
3. Others 1,240 6.41%
4. Windows NT 591 3.05%
5. Macintosh PowerPC 574 2.96%
Subtotal 18,914 97.78%
Total 19,343 100%
30
posted on
08/31/2003 6:16:54 AM PDT
by
Capt. Tom
(anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest -Capt. Tom circa 1948)
To: HamiltonJay
Yea, IT managers are shipping jobs overseas to save money and but they would never institute MACs if it would save them large $$$? Be real. It managers are not the ones sending the jobs overseas. It's SENIOR management that is issuing the mandate, as in "make it work, or you will be replaced by somebody who will"
Senior management doesn't get involved much in decisions of what kinds of PCs to get, it relies on their IT nerds, who can put up all the smoke they want without fear of being contradicted. It's a whole different story when mgmt hears about Indian CS PhD's going for $20K. THAT they understand.
31
posted on
08/31/2003 6:26:59 AM PDT
by
SauronOfMordor
(Java/C++/Unix/Web Developer === needs a job at the moment)
To: Swordmaker
Cringley needs some math classes. Xserves are way overpriced, and they have IDE hard drives. You can get a comparable machine from Sun with SCSI for less.
32
posted on
08/31/2003 6:30:56 AM PDT
by
B Knotts
To: Swordmaker
This article is childish. There is a simple reason why macs failed in the business market. They had a closed architecture. By the time they opened up to clones in the mid-90's, it was too late. The fact is, large organizations are reluctant to go with a sole-source solution.
33
posted on
08/31/2003 6:31:02 AM PDT
by
mrjeff
To: eno_
Personally, I think IT should run only the servers and network. An individual PC is like an infantryman's rifle. If the infantryman can't take care of his rifle he is screwed. So it should be with laptops and individuals' desktop PCs.
That might be practical in 20 to 30 years. Not now. The gradient of computer knowledge is tremendous (being about in the middle, I see that from both directions) and the powers-that-be are typically at the lower end. Yet they are hooked on the information access.
What will increase is the marketability of those who have some PC troubleshooting/repair skills in addition to their primary skills. There's two or three of us at my company that probably mean one less person is needed in MIS.
-Eric
34
posted on
08/31/2003 6:36:02 AM PDT
by
E Rocc
("Dry" counties are a Protestant version of sharia.)
To: mrjeff
The fact is, large organizations are reluctant to go with a sole-source solution.Except for their love affair with all things Microsoft. A little competition would have been healthy, except Microsoft was allowed to use predatory practices to become a monopoly. At the time when this could have been prevented, those who could have prevented it looked the other way until it was too late.
35
posted on
08/31/2003 6:43:18 AM PDT
by
NCjim
To: wiseone
Ditto that... Apple is a money grabbing bunch of apparchnicks.
36
posted on
08/31/2003 6:45:39 AM PDT
by
kylaka
To: RockChucker
Is AutoCad and other engineering products available for the MAC?Or a whole host of user-written freeware, shareware and even 'open source' *utilities* and applications that made (or still make) an EE's or a "junior designer's" life easier?
Sadly, no.
37
posted on
08/31/2003 6:47:19 AM PDT
by
_Jim
(Resources for Understanding the Blackout of 2003 - www.pserc.wisc.edu/Resources.htm)
To: B Knotts
Cringley needs some math classes. Xserves are way overpriced, and they have IDE hard drives. You can get a comparable machine from Sun with SCSI for less.
My components supplier will sell me a Western Digital 20G IDE hard drive for $60, a 120G for a $120, and a 250G for $287. Seagate SCSIs cost $174 for a 36G and $799 for 147G. Fujitsu SCSIs are even more expensive.
It sounds like the motherboards that sound cheap until you find out what the special memory chips cost.
-Eric
38
posted on
08/31/2003 6:48:03 AM PDT
by
E Rocc
("Dry" counties are a Protestant version of sharia.)
To: Swordmaker
Haiku-
Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.
39
posted on
08/31/2003 6:49:49 AM PDT
by
MaryFromMichigan
( If a man says something in the woods and there are no women there, is he still wrong?)
To: E Rocc
Hello.
That's my point. You pay more for an Xserve with cheaper, inferior components.
40
posted on
08/31/2003 6:54:41 AM PDT
by
B Knotts
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