Comments on: PSU Support for Macs http://dcfischer.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/05/19/psu-support-for-macs/ Notes from the former CIO of Plymouth State University Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:06:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: dcfischer http://dcfischer.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/05/19/psu-support-for-macs/comment-page-1/#comment-2864 dcfischer Fri, 19 May 2006 14:42:15 +0000 http://dcfischer.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/05/19/psu-support-for-macs/#comment-2864 Good point. As developers, you need to write to a variety of computer configurations. You support your computer, so you're in the exception zone. Good point. As developers, you need to write to a variety of computer configurations. You support your computer, so you’re in the exception zone.

]]> By: zbtirrell http://dcfischer.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/05/19/psu-support-for-macs/comment-page-1/#comment-2863 zbtirrell Fri, 19 May 2006 14:37:19 +0000 http://dcfischer.blogs.plymouth.edu/2006/05/19/psu-support-for-macs/#comment-2863 I don't have an official waiver, but my duties as web developer require me to test all our web applications on a mac. To accommodate that, I have a 6 year old G4 on my desk. Amazingly it performs as well if not better than my 3 year old surplus PC that also sits on my desk. I'm sure much of this is because there is no LAN desk or EPO on the mac gobbling up resources. Apple's hardware ages much better in our environment than PCs. Additionally, I could replace that simple G4 desktop for $1300 (monitor included) with another Apple. A similarly spec'd Dell would be $1100. As I look around ITS, there are others with at least 5 year old Macs on their desk. If we assume 5 years is the normal life for them, that destroys any cost savings from even a 4 year PC life cycle (ITS recommends 3 years). Another cost benefit is not needing LAN desk or EPO. These are things you cannot live without in Windows, but OSX handles its patch management properly to begin with. On this topic of managing the machines, OSX can easily join a Windows domain and authenticate against Active Directory. Finally, most software people use in Windows has a Mac version: MS Office, Firefox, iTunes, Google Earth, SQL Developer, Internet Native Banner, Discoverer Plus, etc. I feel as though we've moved away from Macs at a time when they have become inexpensive and similar to PCs to support, just with less headaches and longer lives. I don’t have an official waiver, but my duties as web developer require me to test all our web applications on a mac. To accommodate that, I have a 6 year old G4 on my desk. Amazingly it performs as well if not better than my 3 year old surplus PC that also sits on my desk. I’m sure much of this is because there is no LAN desk or EPO on the mac gobbling up resources. Apple’s hardware ages much better in our environment than PCs.

Additionally, I could replace that simple G4 desktop for $1300 (monitor included) with another Apple. A similarly spec’d Dell would be $1100. As I look around ITS, there are others with at least 5 year old Macs on their desk. If we assume 5 years is the normal life for them, that destroys any cost savings from even a 4 year PC life cycle (ITS recommends 3 years).

Another cost benefit is not needing LAN desk or EPO. These are things you cannot live without in Windows, but OSX handles its patch management properly to begin with. On this topic of managing the machines, OSX can easily join a Windows domain and authenticate against Active Directory.

Finally, most software people use in Windows has a Mac version: MS Office, Firefox, iTunes, Google Earth, SQL Developer, Internet Native Banner, Discoverer Plus, etc.

I feel as though we’ve moved away from Macs at a time when they have become inexpensive and similar to PCs to support, just with less headaches and longer lives.

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