US University Dumps Windows to go All Mac 368
MacKeyser passed us a link to a MacWorld article about a University doing things a little differently. Instead of sticking with their inefficient mix of Apple and PC systems, the college is doing a 'total technology refresh', and adopting an all-Mac policy on the campus. Previously, a class at Wilkes University would be outfitted with something like 20 Macs and 20 PCs, to allow for individual preferences in software and OS use. With Boot Camp students at the Pennsylvania liberal arts college will be able to switch between Windows and OSX, choosing which applications and OS to use at any given time. "[Scott Byers, vice president for finance and the head of campus IT said] 'We think it will save $150,000 directly, in buying fewer units - even though the Macs cost more per unit than PCs.' The school, which enrolls about 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students, will reduce its inventory from nearly 1,700 computers to around 1,450 after the change over. Other costs savings, however, will be harder to measure. 'By standardizing, the IT department should be more productive,' Byers said."
Major university... (Score:3, Insightful)
Monoculture bad ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Even it it's a 'non-evil' monoculture.
Re:Monoculture bad ... (Score:2, Insightful)
How is this different from them buying all Dell (or HP / Brand X / Whatever)? Just now that by buying Apple, every computer can use an OS that runs Photoshop, et. al. that isn't Windows, not just 50% of them.
Before the switch, every user had a choice - Mac or Windows. Every user still has a choice - OS X or XP/Vista - just now they can standardize on the hardware. Unless you have a real beef with Apple hardware (and every hardware vendor has its critics), I don't see a downside to this policy.
Re:Fewer computers? (Score:4, Insightful)
RTFA.
The classes used to have (all number pulled from my ass) 15 windows PCs & 15 Mac PCs. In a class of 20, 10 would go unused.
Now, they'll have 20 PCs capable of running OS X or Windows. All students still have access to a PC.
hrmm.. (Score:3, Insightful)
"Although the $1.4 million three-year switch - which started last year with the purchase of approximately 500 Macs"
$965 per apple? including the installation, planning etc? Over three years, in which time period the current macs would be outdated and require hardware upgrades in order to use the mac OS that will be in circulation by then?
Methinks their budget may fall a tad short..
Re:Headline Incorrect. (Score:5, Insightful)
Um, unless they just use the XP licenses they already have?
Anyway, MS licensing works differently if you're a 2000+ seat university compared to some lone windows fanboy running vista ultimate.... I don't think this is going to be a gain for MS at all.
Re:Monoculture bad ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Windows` strength is the diversity of third-party support, both hardware and software.
Why give half of that up and run only on mac hardware?
To answer your question, it's no different from only buying Dell or Brand X or whatever. It's just as wrong.
Re:Going to Linux (Score:3, Insightful)
Makes total sense (Score:5, Insightful)
The only reason I reboot to windows now, is for the odd game; and even that's rare with me. Windows seems so much peppier, too, when I do go to it; since I only go there occasionally, the system doesn't get bogged down with addons, startup items, spyware, etc.. (The old reinstall-windows-every-six-months can be extended greatly, if you only use Windows occasionally.)
I think for a multimedia course that needs to teach students both Mac and PC skills, it makes all the more sense; both OS's on one machine: of course it's an overall savings, and somewhat of a no-brainer.
Yes, Mac hardware is single-vendor (unless you do the hackbook thing, not viable for a commercial enterprise); but in my experience, it's well designed, solid, stable, fast hardware. My only lament is that I'm a big fan of sub-nootbooks, like Librettos, and Apple has no such option currently. But I can live without that, for all the other benefits that OS X brings.
Yes, I'm a recent fan, and I am a boy, so fling away with your "fanboy" insults. Meanwhile, I'm productive and enjoying the experience immensely
Re:Good for them! (Score:3, Insightful)
But it's not about that; and, as is often the case the slashdot headline is an anti-windows line.
They are standardising on hardware, not an operating system. Which makes sense in terms of cost and hardware management.
nope. in practice macs go 5 years (Score:5, Insightful)
installation? ard.
planning? has to be done anyway.
etc? macs have less etc.
Because that's what they've always used (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, many people don't like change, thus they stick with Macs because that's what they've always used. The other justifications usually come from the fact that they either just tend to listen to the marketing hype, or because they feel a need to try and justify the more expensive purchase.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:5, Insightful)
But honestly, it all comes down to personal preference. I know in the pre-press shops I've worked at, the PC has tried to make inroads, but there are a few things that just keep it back. Font handling is one....though most shops are going to an all PDF workflow, so that mitigates some of these problems.
But like this article, the great thing about the Intel Macs is, you can run either OS X or Windows....or even Linux, if you want. I would say that the extra you pay for the Mac is actually made up for this ability right there. It's very versatile now.
Apple is cheaper? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple opening up OS X to run on any hardware isn't going to be happening anytime soon and I think that people should just get over it. If it happens it happens. I'm not holding my breath for it.
Re:Two possible reasons (Score:4, Insightful)
Besides, speaking overall, anti-Mac zealotry on the part of IT departments has been a huge barrier against more widespread adoption of Macs. IT people know Windows. They'd rather have to maintain only a single platform. In most business environments, and in many academic ones, there is no choice at all. It's just Windows. So what's the big deal if one institution decides to use machines that, gasp, can boot both Windows and the Mac OS? Must be zealotry. . .
I suppose they could save even more money by just refusing to buy Macs at all and forcing all courses to use Windows only. In that case, it would just be a smart financial decision, right? Happens all the time.
Boot camp will be out of beta as soon as Leopard arrives, which will be a few months at most. Not worth fretting about that at this point. Apple has to provide that disclaimer for the time being.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:5, Insightful)
People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. --Alan Kay [wikipedia.org]
A lot of people would agree with that.
Until it can be run on non-dongle-ridden hardware, it is not versatile.
The claim is that the hardware is versatile. Your comment does not apply.
In fact, depending on how Jobs' current 'selling sugar water to the kids' (iPod/iTunes) initiative goes
I'm not even quite sure what this means. Why does everyone fight against iTunes and the iPod? If you don't like it, don't use it. No one is forcing you.
Re:Good for them! (Score:3, Insightful)
Decent color management and Photoshop (at least CS2 level). I'm not sure why color management hasn't arrived, but Photoshop may be the killer un-app. Adobe has no particular reason to make it easy to run under Parallels and even less reason to make a native port. No Gimp flames please. I've been playing with it on Ubuntu - actually pretty impressive, but not Photoshop. Not even close.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:3, Insightful)
What operating system do you use, and why? Remember to list only reasons that have nothing to with personal preference. God forbid people should use what they prefer. If it is an operating system you have used before, you must be afraid of change. If that operating system is marketed or promoted in the media, you must be a mindless sheep. If that operating system requires hardware marginally more expensive than others, you must be in denial.
Re:Good for them! (Score:5, Insightful)
So does Slashdot.
Has anyone noticed that they aren't dumping Windows at all? They just want to use Bootcamp to cut down on total hardware costs and standardize on a single hardware platform. All they are actually dumping is beige-box PC hardware. They still plan to run Windows and Windows apps just like they did before.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:5, Insightful)
You're just used to it.
Windows is constantly telling you when things succeed -- like it wants to be congratulated on doing what it's supposed to do. "New hardware detected! You've attached a camera! I found a driver! Do you want me to open the pictures or copy them or sing a song? The camera is now connected and working!" There are balloon tips popping up in the taskbar and notification area periodically, letting you know that whatever you're doing is not important, because Windows just found a new wireless network! Hey, Windows just updated your time thanks to daylight Savings! Thought you should know! hey, you have unused icons on your desktop!! Do you want me to help you clean them up? Icons are hard! Stop what you're doing and pay attention to me!
The assumption in the Windows OS interface is that things are going to fail -- that at any moment the computer could simply explode and kill everyone in the room, and if things go well it should get a pizza party like the winner of the Special Olympics.
On the Mac, it is assumed things will succeed. If you plug in a new piece of hardware, it just shows up ready to use.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:4, Insightful)
So shinyness aside, I fail to see how what is being sold is crap. Obviously music players are a matter of preference, but some of us bought iPods before they were "cool" simply because they were the most straightforward and logical devices to use as far as portable music players go. And you seem to imply "selling to the masses" is bad. Is Apple only successful if they have only a cult following? As a shareholder, I would answer that with a resounding "no." I don't use Apple because it's cool, I use their products because they work.
Re:Because that's what they've always used (Score:3, Insightful)
Paging Mr. Anyone (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyone except NASA in 2000.
http://hpc.sourceforge.net/NASA_G4_Study.pdf [sourceforge.net]
Or the High Performance Computing gang..
http://hpc.sourceforge.net/index2.php [sourceforge.net]
Re:Good for them! (Score:3, Insightful)