[itdiscuss] mac or PC?

[Stephen Ollis]

> Ok, so I admit that I¹m going to take my ³Devils Advocate² cap off the rack
> and give it a run..
> 
> But, I see a lot of ³We don¹t run a Mac network; we run a PC network². So tell
> me, oh wise ones, what constitutes a PC network? Or conversely, feel free to
> tell me what comprises a Mac network.
> 
> Yu see, I don¹t think that there is any such thing as a ³PC network² anymore,
> unless you¹re having the misfortune of running Netware. It¹s like saying you
> run a ³PDA network² or an ³iPhone network²; the network is the underlying
> structure to hang all the server bits off, and allows PC, Mac, Linux, iPhone,
> Blackberries and PDA¹s to access the data.
> 
> Taking the Devils¹s Advocate cap off, I think that what most people mena when
> they say ³PC network² is that they¹re not skilled-up in another area, and it¹s
> easier to handwave away a question about Mac or iPhone integration than
> actually say ³look, we don¹t have the skills inhouse to support you properly².
> And really, that¹s what everyone should be saying: ³IT wants to support you
> well, and we can¹t unless we have someone on board who is specifically skilled
> in this area².  I have yet to find a technical reason why a mac can¹t happily
> coexist with PC¹s on a network, and happily share data, access Exchange/Lotus,
> authenticate and lookup user directories, and print (with the caveat on
> printing that mac¹s haven¹t tended to support GDI printers as muc has PS or
> PCL). Sure, there¹s some management stuff that¹s going to be ³different² but
> please ante up and say what the real issue is, and not gloss it with the boss
> about the network not supporting Macs.
> 
> Or, the other tack is that, as an IT Manager/director, you¹re letting personal
> bias get in the way of other system integration onto your LAN. I have both Mac
> and PC on my desk and I now use them equally. Wasn¹t always the case, but I¹ve
> forced myself to push past the ³It¹s too hard to do on Mac² to actively find
> ways of doing it. And I¹d say that Hillsong is better for it. The Mac lovers
> get to to use their Macs, PC lovers get to use their Macs, and the Linux
> lovers (I have a couple) get to use their Linux laptops as well. Smartphone
> users can select from iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile or even Palm, and it
> all works. Different technologies, different limitations, but the tools of
> choice for our teams are usable.
> 
> Does it mean I¹m going to swap my Blackberry Bold for a Treo or iPhone? Nup..
> I just have to have the attitude of a support team that takes a little time,
> gleans some basic support stuff from Google and volunteers, and set the
> Acceptable Use Policy to match.
> 
> My $0.02 worth.. Your mileage may vary
> 
> Steve Ollis
> Supporting 1500 users with 6 staff across 16 sites
> 
> 
> 
> 


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