is that Erik's consulting is Mac oriented. In the world today there is a Microsoft Enterprise spread across the globe. There is no offering from Apple that compares.
That said I like my Mac, Windows and Linux platforms. But of the three Windows is most viable end user box in an enterprise. If we are talking non managed (single user) my nod goes to OSX.
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I'm all for people that prefer OS X. It's not my cup-of-tea, but if it works for you then great. What I really dislike though is when people push their preference (OS X or otherwise) onto other people without considering other factors. Well done for realising the considerations for a business PC extend beyond personal preference of interface.
Without getting into a full analysis, it depends on what the users needs to do. Sometimes OSX is the way to go.
So, why do you need to train new users at all?
I've heard tell, from a friend, that his super-annuated mother, who couldn't make heads or tails of Windows98 (which she'd been told over and over was "really hard to learn") was able to jump right into OS X (which she'd been told over and over was "really easy to learn") and found it "so easy to use! Everything's so intuitive!"
Since OS X IS so intuitive and friendly, shouldn't users be able to figure everything out for themselves? And if they can't figure it out, it's probably not something they needed to be poking into anyway...
I've heard tell, from a friend, that his super-annuated mother, who couldn't make heads or tails of Windows98 (which she'd been told over and over was "really hard to learn") was able to jump right into OS X (which she'd been told over and over was "really easy to learn") and found it "so easy to use! Everything's so intuitive!"
Since OS X IS so intuitive and friendly, shouldn't users be able to figure everything out for themselves? And if they can't figure it out, it's probably not something they needed to be poking into anyway...
Like Ubuntu and Windows 8, it's easier to learn a new operating system if you're not carrying years of habits and behaviors learned from another one.
...of course. But my friend's mother HAD been using Windows for several years, surfing, emailing, even doing some simple Photoshop work...
And at this point, the similarities between desktops are greater than their differences: the GUI hasn't changed much since it was codified in the 80s, right?
You've got icons, menus, a desktop, a means of browsing the filesystem, some gadgets widgets and doo-hickies...
You click, double-click, right-click, shift-click, control/command-click, etc.
Touch interfaces are the first really new wrinkle in 25 years.
I think the biggest thing that determines your success with an OS is your attitude and the pre-conceptions you have (give to you by others.)
And at this point, the similarities between desktops are greater than their differences: the GUI hasn't changed much since it was codified in the 80s, right?
You've got icons, menus, a desktop, a means of browsing the filesystem, some gadgets widgets and doo-hickies...
You click, double-click, right-click, shift-click, control/command-click, etc.
Touch interfaces are the first really new wrinkle in 25 years.
I think the biggest thing that determines your success with an OS is your attitude and the pre-conceptions you have (give to you by others.)
blatanville said: "I think the biggest thing that determines your success with an OS is your attitude and the pre-conceptions you have (give to you by others.)"
It is indeed a question of attitude and I tip my hat for the sanity input in this discussion, but I always come back to why Apple will be gaining converts with the move of Microsoft to Windows 8.
At this point, although, to me, Windows 8's USER INTERFACE is pure horror and I positively, viscerally hate how Microsoft (and Apple before it), has made users slaves with limited freedoms on their won computers and has made every effort, through the design of their GUIs, to make sure users cannot find their ways into the actual File System, key to our computers (sometimes I wonder if I couldn't make my own Windows Shell, in which the Start button is actually the system's real file manager), I CAN TRULY APPRECIATE the advantages of the TOUCH INTERFACE for smaller screens and for media consumption.
But for general computing, what computers were designed for, a TOOL for CREATIVITY? Honestly, I just cannot believe Microsoft can actually force users to abandon the Start Menu and File System paradigm, which is so essential for freedom of use, and lock users into a world where they live in Microsoft cubicles and all consume Microsoft Goo from the Microsoft Store!
We've seen a gradual loss of freedom ever since Windows XP took over, where computer users lost the ownership of their system and were put on the same level as potential criminals, with the need for credentials and other controls, and Microsoft has slowly, and to most, imperceptibly, been removing access to what is in reality their PERSONAL COMPUTER (why would anyone need to stress this fundamental principle is beyond me).
Truly and irreversibly abandoning the Start Menu and File System would be like forcing collectivism in a society based on personal, direct democratic participation: it's just bound to fail.
THE LOSS OF FREEDOM is why, in my opinion, there is so much negative reception to this UI, that was in reality just designed for pure, mindless CONSUMPTION on small MEDIA DEVICES that cannot be used for any real work. The real problem comes from the fact that Microsoft is insisting that we should now all convert to their new religion and to leave creation and decision making to them, just like in the virtual world of the Matrix, instead of actually OWNING our tools, to be able to CREATE with them what We, the People, see fit, as true, fully realized human beings.
It is indeed a question of attitude and I tip my hat for the sanity input in this discussion, but I always come back to why Apple will be gaining converts with the move of Microsoft to Windows 8.
At this point, although, to me, Windows 8's USER INTERFACE is pure horror and I positively, viscerally hate how Microsoft (and Apple before it), has made users slaves with limited freedoms on their won computers and has made every effort, through the design of their GUIs, to make sure users cannot find their ways into the actual File System, key to our computers (sometimes I wonder if I couldn't make my own Windows Shell, in which the Start button is actually the system's real file manager), I CAN TRULY APPRECIATE the advantages of the TOUCH INTERFACE for smaller screens and for media consumption.
But for general computing, what computers were designed for, a TOOL for CREATIVITY? Honestly, I just cannot believe Microsoft can actually force users to abandon the Start Menu and File System paradigm, which is so essential for freedom of use, and lock users into a world where they live in Microsoft cubicles and all consume Microsoft Goo from the Microsoft Store!
We've seen a gradual loss of freedom ever since Windows XP took over, where computer users lost the ownership of their system and were put on the same level as potential criminals, with the need for credentials and other controls, and Microsoft has slowly, and to most, imperceptibly, been removing access to what is in reality their PERSONAL COMPUTER (why would anyone need to stress this fundamental principle is beyond me).
Truly and irreversibly abandoning the Start Menu and File System would be like forcing collectivism in a society based on personal, direct democratic participation: it's just bound to fail.
THE LOSS OF FREEDOM is why, in my opinion, there is so much negative reception to this UI, that was in reality just designed for pure, mindless CONSUMPTION on small MEDIA DEVICES that cannot be used for any real work. The real problem comes from the fact that Microsoft is insisting that we should now all convert to their new religion and to leave creation and decision making to them, just like in the virtual world of the Matrix, instead of actually OWNING our tools, to be able to CREATE with them what We, the People, see fit, as true, fully realized human beings.
The difference is 11. Expect to spend a lot more money and prepare for forced upgrades.
Much lower TCO.
As a startup CTO I have run IT-less companies with the simple combination of an all Apple desktop network and Google Apps for mail and calendar. Simple, reliable, and on the rare time I have had an equipment failure (always due to external factors such as someone else plugging a machine into a spiky socket without a surge protector) the Apple store has been there with immediate help and replacement.
Now, if you manage an IT department, this could be your worst nightmare. A business network that actually functions well *without* your staff of babysitters.
As a startup CTO I have run IT-less companies with the simple combination of an all Apple desktop network and Google Apps for mail and calendar. Simple, reliable, and on the rare time I have had an equipment failure (always due to external factors such as someone else plugging a machine into a spiky socket without a surge protector) the Apple store has been there with immediate help and replacement.
Now, if you manage an IT department, this could be your worst nightmare. A business network that actually functions well *without* your staff of babysitters.
I guess it's hard to take pictures of your fantasies. Try MS paint.
Or don't you realize that the author of this article makes money running IT support for Apple systems?
They are just a hassle to support, I am surprised at the title of this article, wow
There are a couple of comments in here from people that have gone all-Apple in their business from the start and have had good success. I find that completely believable.
But yeah, if you've always been a Windows shop and suddenly you are asked to support a new platform, then yes that's going to be a real pain.
But yeah, if you've always been a Windows shop and suddenly you are asked to support a new platform, then yes that's going to be a real pain.
Apple made its stance on the Enterprise pretty clear when it dumped Xserve. Further, it has failed to provide a consistent codebase in the CIFS/SMB stack to properly communicate with what is unquestionably the most popular enterprise filesharing mechanisms. Admittedly, the SAMBA-based system "works," but not without a fair amount of very un-Apple-like configuration elements, and certainly not as tightly integrated with AD, which seems to be the most popular authentication and authorization system around.
Make no mistake... I'm no Windows guy. I just know what difficulties having Mac as an enterprise platform is in a Windows-dominated space.
Make no mistake... I'm no Windows guy. I just know what difficulties having Mac as an enterprise platform is in a Windows-dominated space.
Boh OSes have their quirks - I enjoy working in both of them.
But one downside to a Mac that hasn't been mentioned is .dmg file creation. I simply wanted to create an equivalent .exe file (of a swag of webpages) that when clicked would open up a particular page - index.html - in the default browser.
This proved very difficult. I am surprised there are so few apps out there to achieve it. DMG Canvas perhaps? I still can't get the software to do it. Maybe it's me...
Anyway, I think we ought to move beyond slagging each other off about two very good OSes.
But one downside to a Mac that hasn't been mentioned is .dmg file creation. I simply wanted to create an equivalent .exe file (of a swag of webpages) that when clicked would open up a particular page - index.html - in the default browser.
This proved very difficult. I am surprised there are so few apps out there to achieve it. DMG Canvas perhaps? I still can't get the software to do it. Maybe it's me...
Anyway, I think we ought to move beyond slagging each other off about two very good OSes.
Here's a simple reason why Apple doesn't seem to make things EASIER to switch. A friend had an old Windows laptop. Slow as hell. hEr grandson gave her his old Mac [don't remember which but it was at 10.6.x so it's not that old]. She previously used Windows XP with Outlook EXpress. Now she'd use Mail that's with OS X. You would think Apple would make it easy to transfer her contacts and email? Nope. Export to a >CSV and import into the calendar app. Even worse was Mail. Nothing directly imports Outlook Express files. Had to install Thunderbird, import them intio THunderbird and then transfer those into Mail. Why accept Thunderbird [used by not many] and not Outlook Express [used almost by mre than anyone else]? How dumb!
"Although most offices are printing fewer pages" - according to whom?
THere is nothing in this top ten that would push anyone towards a Mac - definitely not Safari, Calendar, Mail, etc. MS Office isn't an advantage as it's already available for Windows. The Windows suite is more complete than the Mac version.
"Although most offices are printing fewer pages" - according to whom?
THere is nothing in this top ten that would push anyone towards a Mac - definitely not Safari, Calendar, Mail, etc. MS Office isn't an advantage as it's already available for Windows. The Windows suite is more complete than the Mac version.
Nice piece by the Apple Department of Marketing & Fairy Tales.
What a load of bull. Almost tempted to quit my Techrepublic mailing list subscription. At least though it isn't a forced "10 ways to " type article.
What a load of bull. Almost tempted to quit my Techrepublic mailing list subscription. At least though it isn't a forced "10 ways to " type article.
they'll just hang on to what they already have, which is probably XP or W7. There's also the possibility they could go for the cost savings and install Linux.
... As long as I'll be able to run any Windows that has a Start Menu and a shell I can really customize and be able to run Windows 98 in my Virtual Box (because some of my old software is simply irreplaceable), I'll be holding onto my old Win 98SE, 2000, XP and Seven.
Now does anyone know if new laptops with 1920 with at least 1200 height still exist and whether there are any true workstation laptops with LARGE SCREENS? I still mourn the marvellous, o! so legible! 2048x1536 screen on my old computer...
Now does anyone know if new laptops with 1920 with at least 1200 height still exist and whether there are any true workstation laptops with LARGE SCREENS? I still mourn the marvellous, o! so legible! 2048x1536 screen on my old computer...
With the big icons and the flashyness of the new Windows don't expect them to convert to mac
Why always refer to Apple as cool. I have to make money and therefor need a productive system. If that goes on the cost of cool, so be it. If I wanna be cool, I will get me a Ben Affleck haircut.
I am also afraid that Microsoft looked more at Apple than at their Windows users when they designed Windows 8. And they are aggressively pushing Windows 8, alienating their Windows "start" button generation. Windows 7 has certainly still more potential than Windows 8 at this moment.
Is this some kind of joke - Erik, few people (in their right mind) that know anything about IT would recommend such a step backwards for any end user, especially ones that work in a corporate - or other environment that needs to be productive with co-workers. The article is merely fan-boy spin, demonstrating your lack of understanding of what goes on in a ... Come on, Pages, Keynote, iTunes, etc. That's a joke! I have three MacBook Pro's and like the hardware very much. One runs Windows 7 (With Visual Studio - SQL Server R2 - you get the drift...), one runs Windows 8 (also a dev. box), and one runs OS X - I keep it around for a good chuckle every now and then. I also run the Adobe Creative Suite on the OS X box. Mac hardware is fine, but to consider Apple anything other than a mass consumer marketing company, like Nike, etc. is totally misguided - and trying to get others to buy into that "Hocus-Pocus) is disingenuous at best.
Yeah, that's the way I see users using Macs too. They like the hardware and use OS X at home, but run Windows under parallels on their Mac. This isn't with prompting from me either - they seem to realise off their own bat that Windows is needed in business.
This is a PC forum, not a stinking Mac one; why waste valuable space, not to mention our valuable time, with a piece-of-(traitorous)-crap article like this. What a farce!
The individual blog this was posted to is titled '10 Things', a catch-all category here at TR that covers a variety of subjects. TR itself is not exclusively 'a PC forum'.
I found the title appealing and wished to see looking for some good sense advices and I found an idolatric Apple centric advertisement. Please don't do that again!
you.
Erik may be biased, but it's been my observation that Techrepublic as a whole isn't.
Erik may be biased, but it's been my observation that Techrepublic as a whole isn't.
... it would be lie saying there is an Anti American agenda in the world, when it's really only and Anti Imperialism agenda.
Tech Republic is a forefront for mainstream computing and (excuse me for saying this, TR), is very much geared towards the AVERAGE CONSUMER. This is NOT a place, except for the rare exception, where fertile, avant-garde, thoughtful discussions happen!
Tech Republic is a forefront for mainstream computing and (excuse me for saying this, TR), is very much geared towards the AVERAGE CONSUMER. This is NOT a place, except for the rare exception, where fertile, avant-garde, thoughtful discussions happen!
im writing this with my limited experience with mac...correct me if im wrong
mac doesn't allow native NTFS which is the most secure and stable file system known to windows users.
mac doesn't have multi-tasking capabilities
can macs connect to a windows domain which is essential for business security and access control
macs are harder to repair/upgrade compared to PCs
and this is just tip of the iceberg
mac doesn't allow native NTFS which is the most secure and stable file system known to windows users.
mac doesn't have multi-tasking capabilities
can macs connect to a windows domain which is essential for business security and access control
macs are harder to repair/upgrade compared to PCs
and this is just tip of the iceberg
And the user experience is pretty seamless. However the backend management of the Mac using Active Directory isn't there. (e.g. group policy, logon scripting would be different, et-al)
Not to say that you can't centrally manage UNIX based systems using LDAP, but as another person pointed out, why would you go that direction if you were already vested with Windows (unless of course you were running NT4 in which case the pain of going to AD versus LDAP is about equal)
Not to say that you can't centrally manage UNIX based systems using LDAP, but as another person pointed out, why would you go that direction if you were already vested with Windows (unless of course you were running NT4 in which case the pain of going to AD versus LDAP is about equal)
About MAC's and joining a Windows domain is senseless. As stand-alones, they might have merit, but they are not manageable in AD.
reiterated a post of mine. I thought maybe the first time I wasn't clear, but didn't I state plainly that an AD admin can't reach out and control said Mac asset w/o learning some new tools?
It isn't senseless for a Mac user to authenticate using AD and access AD resources such as file, print and web (SharePoint, OWA) w/o having to re-authenticate. This applies to Linux as well. On the admin side you can get the benefit of single sign on password management. Any AD reporting tools you have will show that Mac as an asset even if you can't control it with built in admin tools (pretty sure WMI doesn't work.)
Speaking of SharePoint an earlier post stated that Office for Mac didn't have some SharePoint integration features. Not certain which those are, but that's an app issue not an AD issue.
It isn't senseless for a Mac user to authenticate using AD and access AD resources such as file, print and web (SharePoint, OWA) w/o having to re-authenticate. This applies to Linux as well. On the admin side you can get the benefit of single sign on password management. Any AD reporting tools you have will show that Mac as an asset even if you can't control it with built in admin tools (pretty sure WMI doesn't work.)
Speaking of SharePoint an earlier post stated that Office for Mac didn't have some SharePoint integration features. Not certain which those are, but that's an app issue not an AD issue.
Mac people buy them to be cool and they look flashy, so maybe windows 8 will bring them back
Its easier to use as well
Its easier to use as well
Wait a moment, change a PC by an Apple? If you are thinking do this you do not need a computer. You need a gadget, like a tablet or a smartphone. Who really needs a computer never would change a PC by a PC (remember Apple computers are just expensive PC??s made in China today) with a OS "different", and pay 2 or 3 times more.
Why would you choose to go to a set of products from such an unethical company as Apple. Other suppliers are no paragons of virtue, but as an organization where a) staff building its products regularly commit suicide b) it pays 2% tax on earning due to the aggressive use of tax avoidance via tax havens c) when your with it you're tied to a closed source so have minimal flexibility.
Foxconn? What technology company would be ethical under that stricture? I blame China and Foxconn, not Apple, Dell or Joe's computer shack down the street for employee conditions.
With regards to taxes, that is on foreign profit. You forgot to mention they paid over 12 billion dollars in taxes in the US. And once again what company doesn't do this? Hell Cisco is bleating about trying to get a tax holiday to move foreign money in from their accounts.
With regards to point c), would you consider the ability to fire up a terminal in OSX and compile just about any software you have source for open? It is UNIX after all...
Are you willing to advocate we all become Luddites?
With regards to taxes, that is on foreign profit. You forgot to mention they paid over 12 billion dollars in taxes in the US. And once again what company doesn't do this? Hell Cisco is bleating about trying to get a tax holiday to move foreign money in from their accounts.
With regards to point c), would you consider the ability to fire up a terminal in OSX and compile just about any software you have source for open? It is UNIX after all...
Are you willing to advocate we all become Luddites?
I think that if you are decide to produce in China, it is your responsibility to monitor if ethics of the producing company are in line with yours. It is too easy to just say that China or Foxconn is to blame. Remember the problems that Nike had when it was obvious that their sneakers were made through kid labour. A produced product can't be one's pleasure and in the same time another one's pain.
has visited Foxconn to monitor working conditions. The issue is not to condone said behavior rather to make a point that singling out Apple is hypocritical. I noticed no one had pointed out the shining example of a company we can all turn to for our technology needs.
If a company is on Windows, let it stay there. Equipment is much cheaper. Windows is easier to learn and as an administrator it also so much easier to maintain systems. I personally am a Windows guy and it served me and the companies I worked for well over the last 2 decades. I have also a Mac, but I simply don't see how an employee can get productive with an OSX based system. The only company that can ruin the day for Windows is Microsoft themselves. If they keep on pushing aggressively Windows 8 to their customers and it won't be felt as productive as Vista of Windows 7 then alienation could be their faith. Microsoft should look at why so many have chosen Windows (and Mac was also their all these years) and not why they should look more like Apple. I like Windows, it never let me down.
w/o information about the business at hand, and needs of the users? I can agree with you that Windows seats are easier to maintain in a Windows server based infrastructure. The rest is uninformed opinion which is valueless.
Makes me wonder if there is a correlation in the Windows/Mac with Romney/Obama? I like to get things done. Can you guess which sides I am on? There are a few useful things in the article, but as I read it - it felt quite a bit of Windows bashing. As an IT tech that supports both environments in businesses, I am finding more problems on the Mac side relative to the number of Mac's that are out there (in business). Most of the problems, however, are related to the same problems I see on the Windows side - OLD systems - systems that are 5-10 years old.
While Windows' programs move around with their menus. Apple programs do not. The menu bar at the top stays put and changes as you click on different open windows on the desktop. For Windows users moving to Mac, this is something to get used to. Whenever you switch to another application you have to train your eyes to look up at the changing menu bar.
There is no taskbar. While the dock beats Windows' Start button in ease of use, it's horrible at letting you know which programs are open and accessing multiple instances of your opened programs. Windows users will need to learn about the "Application" folder in case a program is missing from the dock.
Converts from Windows should also get used to "Finder" instead of Windows Explorer. Though I believe most Windows users know it as the "search" or "documents" window for finding their files. And "mounting" which I think is obsolete but you should know if your switching to Mac.
Apples love to mount thumbdrives and discs and hard drives.
There is no taskbar. While the dock beats Windows' Start button in ease of use, it's horrible at letting you know which programs are open and accessing multiple instances of your opened programs. Windows users will need to learn about the "Application" folder in case a program is missing from the dock.
Converts from Windows should also get used to "Finder" instead of Windows Explorer. Though I believe most Windows users know it as the "search" or "documents" window for finding their files. And "mounting" which I think is obsolete but you should know if your switching to Mac.
Apples love to mount thumbdrives and discs and hard drives.
I have a ASUS notebook with the same CPU, RAM, Videocard as one of the MAC has... but my notebook is visible much faster than the MAC to do the same tasks, so I cant see the idea to change the PC to a MAC... and the MAC cost much more than the PC does, so... nope never going to happen !
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