The parish in which I serve is – like most organizations – a Microsoft shop. And my family receives a little extra income because I provide part-time information technology support. Over the past few years we have made significant progress in getting out computers/network closer – closer - to where they should be.
- Server is SBS2003
- All clients (and the server) are now Dell machines (consistency and strong support – we used to have several clients that were home built)
- All clients run Windows XP Pro (again – consistency and maximum compatibility with the server)
We still have a mixture of Dell Inspiron/Dimension laptops and desktops alongside the better Latitude/Optiplex business class laptops and desktops. I have started an unofficial policy (strategy) that all new machines will be business class.
There is still much more we can do. We have not leveraged our SBS2003 installation and frankly have not touched Sharepoint. Backup hardware and procedures are spotty – most clients save everything locally which means not on the server which means not backed up. Our most critical application ACS (Automated Church Systems) is backed up daily with one copy being taken off site.
Thanks for being patient as I share this background information.
A couple years ago someone in the parish who is a Mac enthusiast began strongly urging that we switch to Macs. At the time I resisted this suggestion but will not share my reasons here.
But the issue has come up again this time in the context of a much larger conversation about phones and communications and leveraging ACS (partly by shifting “on demand” where the company hosts the application and data – and we do everything through a web browser).
You see where this is going.
This time around I am open – open - to the idea of partial or complete switchover to Macs. One of my colleagues who is fairly computer savvy likes the idea of at least the ministers switching to Macintosh laptops. Even if the rest of the parish remains Microsoft/Windows. Frankly I am willing to explore the possibility of a complete migration and not just because I do not relish the idea of supervising a heterogeneous network.
But there is a reason why for years I have resisted the idea of switching to Mac. And only this morning I came across one of them in a news item by Thom Holwerda at OSNews.Com. It seems that the new iLife suite 09 requires an Intel duo core machine.
Think about that. How much did you pay for that PowerPC G4 or G5 in late 2006 – a mere two-plus years ago? Sorry – you cannot run the latest version of iLife. Maybe you need to buy a new machine.
Apple has always been about moving forward, about pressing customers to buy the latest and greatest. Product pacing has been high in Cupertino (except for the Mac Mini, obviously), and this is obviously a good thing if you’re an Apple bean counter. Most Apple fans more or less accept this planned obsolescence without question, but the company may have just gone a little too far. (emphasis added)
Read the whole thing here. You do not have to register.
This right here is one of the most powerful reasons why I do not just run out and buy a Mac – assuming I can afford one because let us be honest they are more expensive than PCs with similar specs. (Yes yes I know about the relatively inexpensive Apple software suites like iLife and iWorks and the whole software-hardware integration thing. But even when you take those into account – Macs are more expensive. This person says I am wrong and have not done the research.)
When you buy a Mac – you buy into the Apple monopoly.
People fuss at Microsoft because of Vista and how much they are trying to force people to upgrade. But if you do not like Vista and do not want to buy a beefy new computer than can handle Vista guess what? For the most part you do not have to upgrade. You have options and choices. Heck – you can run Windows XP Pro and many common applications on a computer that is several years old. Can Mac users say that?
Do not misunderstand me. I am still open to the possibility of partial or complete migration from Windows to Mac. I would be quite happy if the parish buys me a new Mac laptop with iPhone and – somewhat more arguably – a MobileMe subscription.
But the idea of allowing Apple that much control over the hardware and software I use would still make me nervous. I cannot stand it when people try to force me to do something I would rather not do. Because I have funny ideas about freedom. Real funny ideas.
“Apple… presses customers to buy the latest and greatest”.
“Most Apple fans more or less accept this planned obsolescence without question”.
