Comments on: Mac desktops are 'smarter money,' says CIO

U.K. company examining alternatives to Microsoft because of what it sees as software giant's "aggressive" licensing policies.

[Vegaman_Dan]

For smaller companies like this, it makes sense

With 700 employees, smaller companies can afford to experiment with alternative solutions. An IT staff of one or two people is more than sufficient (I handle 1200 end users by myself so I know 1-2 techs for 700 is easily doable). That makes it a small enclosed environment where the IT department is very close and easy to implement changes like this.

This is a good candidate for Linux or Macintosh systems. Cost effective? That I would doubt highly for the workstation cost between a PC running Linux and a Macintosh is a good $500-$1000 more on a Mac for the same benefits over a Linux PC. That's $350,000 more for the Mac platform over a Linux one for the same benefits. Hard to justify that sort of economic decision, but we aren't the ones doing it.

In the end, that company has to make its own choices where to spend the money most effectively.

[Martin Pilkington]

Stop comparing feature lists and look at implementation

Yes Linux does everything the Mac does (and Windows does
everything both of them do). They're all operating systems and they
all do the same things. Linux is a very good OS, when there doesn't
need to be much user interaction. The Mac is a far better desktop
OS, as is Windows. Linux is better suited to embedded devices and
servers, which is where this company is looking at putting it.

[plbyrd]

Ignorance

This just shows your ignorance of new computers.

An Intel Core 2 Duo, or AMD Athlon X2 EE will both use less power than anything since a Pentium II and also require DDR2 memory, which uses far less power than DDR and SD-Ram memory because they operate at a much lower voltage. Hard drives are also using less power and running cooler these days. All of these things together make modern systems use much less power than systems available even 5 years ago. Upgrading to a new Vista enabled computer will save you money on your energy bill.

[Thomas, David]

Deeeeeaaaaammm That was Funny!

Really! .... Everybody start your engines, open those wallets, run
out the door, get those new computers, sign your license
agreements ... it's going to be a long trip .... where you headed ...
that Vista over there ... looks great from a distance!

LMAO
ROFL

[Penguinisto]

Ignorance indeed!

* video cards now come with their own power supply plug port, and no longer feed exclusively off of the PCI/AGP/PCIe bus. If you want more than crude defaults, let alone video acceleration, you had best plug that puppy in.

* There are more fans in a typical computer sold today, esp. those capable of running Vista.

* Power Supply wattage on average has risen to the 500-600W range (Wattage is an expression of power and/or power capacity), up from previous machinery in which 500W was a rare sight.

So... you were saying something about ignorance?

/P

[jty12388]

I doubt it...

sounds too closed minded to know cars didn't always exist.
-Windows user:(

[artmayer]

Practicality

It seems that Capital & Regional has taken a long time to find out
that for most users, Macs are quite a bit superior in usability,
practicality and for getting new employees up and working quickly,
than on other platforms. This should have been obvious to any
company keeping up with technology.

[Labor Rations]

Use OS/2 it is better!

The Mach kernel is based on the OS/2 kernel, and OSX and Mac OS are based on the OS/2 codebase.

OS/2 is a better Mac OSX than Mac OSX.

[Thomas, David]

Don't Lie

Come again?! Would you like to tell us when you were working at
Next, and Apple?!

[naddy69]

What kind of drugs are you on?

OS X has nothing to do with OS/2 - thank goodness! No one needs half of an OS - OS/2!

[shoffmueller]

Wrong - OSX is based on IBM's MVS

Mac's HFS file system is based on VSAM, and OSX's Automator is based on JCL. And don't get me started on how Apple stole IBM's TSO/ISPF and SPUFI for their XCode. Thiefs!

[cyclelogicpress.com]

Macs run all apps

With Macs running on Intel chips it's a win-win situation for
switchers. And IT departments with Unix knowledge will make the
transition even smoother.

[naddy69]

PCs run all apps,,,

...since Macs are now just garden variety WinTels. Also, OS X is getting easier to run on non-Apple PCs. I have 10.4.9 installed on 4 systems, and only ONE is an Apple PC!

[bigduke]

Mac's vs the other guy

We have working Mac's dating from 1995 that are still working. With no service.
Our laptops start in the same era. Sill used for some tasks. All are on local net and have internet via our Airport.

All designed to work together. Try mixing HP's Compac with Dell.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Interestingly Enough, So Are You

The article wasn't about what OS runs what better, it was about Microsoft's licensing. After doing the numbers here at our local JC, we found that with the money we spent every year in Microsoft Client Access fees, annual Office licensing fees, etc., we could be purchasing an entirely new lab with the latest in hardware EVERY single year...and still be spending less.

It comes out to about $28.00 per device that uses the Microsoft Services, regardless of platform. Computers, Blackberries, Palms, cellphones, Macs, Linux boxes, Windows boxes, printers, faxes, etc. And that's just the CLA fees.

Then you have the privilege of paying an anual tax on all Microsoft software used in your organization or business.

I believe that's what the company is griping about, and switching to an alternative platform and standardizing on something like Open Office will save the company thousands upon thousands of dollars.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Why would you need more than 10 calls in a year?

How many times do you need someone to come in and fix your server every year? My suggestion for you if you're calling more than 10 times a year: Stop eating your lunch and smoking in your server room, dolt.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

It's Called Apple Certification

Why do people not do any research before posting stuff like this?

If you're an IT professional in a Mac-only environment, you get Apple Certified. As simple as that. Then you call up Apple and say, "I need 3 G5 mobos." You give them your certification number, and they ship it out to you for you to put in your store house. If one of your G5s die suddenly due to a bad transistor or what have you, you get your mobo out of storage, record the new SN, swap them, and ship the bad mobo back to Apple - all covered under your warranty and done in-house without having to wait for someone to come out and service your computer three hours later.

Your IT staff IS the on-sight service.

[ajumatt]

OEM licenses

You can get oem licenses for Vista busines for around $60 per pc. How is OSX cheaper? Plus, I want to run barebone systems, not some $1500+ worth hardware. I can get busines PCs built with vista on them for around $400 a piece. If I go with an Apple product, it's going to cost me a lot more. I like Linux. It's free!!!

[druter]

Mac Vs PC

Wow, nothing brings out the hostility like a good old fashion Mac Vs PC fight, and while I would rather use an Abacus than a Mac, I have to say each probably has it's strong point and makes sense financially (for different reasons). I am just surprised by how many comments something like this generates, GO GET THE NERF GUNS MA, I SEES MAC USERS A COMMIN' UP THE ROAD. My next OS is going to be Linux, free makes an awful lot of sense to me.