Help me select my new computer

and furthermore, who willingly runs windows these days? either you have to because of work, or youre too old to learn to hit command instead of control.

windows makes me feel physically sick.

 

Actually, not being connected is a pretty perfect scenario as far as security. I have no problem with that picture. Being not connected my only concertns would be access point security such as anti-virus/anti-spyware, driver, operating system, and application software updates, and the backup recovery process in case of a catastrophic problem such as a fire or something to protect your client data.

If there are guidelines in place to qualtify compliance, like with medical/accounting, or some state records.... You simply need to follow those guidelines.

There are products to lock down USB ports and monitor their usage aos you can do it without being connected.

As far as all the Mac comments, these guys are right... There are less viruses, less spyware/malware, the operating system is nicer, and the hardware (most of it) it a good quality. However the purpose of the computer is to run applications. The Mac has very limited options, limited support, and despite it being a great platform most businesses today do not even have a "token mac" like they might have 15 years ago.

 

Experiences vary. Our school system uses Dells & over 5 yrs. as a teacher I have found Dells to be extremely smooth & reliable. In addition, if you read Consumer reports they rate TECH SUPPORT & problem resolution to be at the top %.

I have 2 HP PC's & quite frankly I dread having to call for tech support as all you get is Indians who for the most part don't know what they're doing & they are TERRIBLE listeners. Dell probably uses the cream of the crop Indians who know what they're doing.

I went to CT recently and used my brother's Dell PC for a few days. I asked him if the Dell has ever given any trouble in 3 yrs. and he said no. My next PC will be a Dell.

I option for superior tech support.

 

If you do not connect to the internet, you don't need anti-virus software or any of the rest of it. Backups can be stored off-site. In the extreme case (and this is pretty extreme) three external HDs: one connected, two in safe deposit boxes at different banks. Or in the less-extreme case, an external HD and a fire-resistant safe.

I keep hearing that there's inadequate business software for the Mac, but other than hard-core scientific processing, I wonder how hard it really is to find open-source software that can do the job.

Example: My sister does volunteer work for her church. The church uses Windows. My sister is adamant that she needs to be absolutely 100% comparible with MS Office. 99.999999999% compatible is unacceptable. So she sticks with Bill-ware even though she hates it and she rants and raves and frets and fumes and makes herself physically ill over it. I tell her Get a Mac and run NeoOffice. Maybe once in a decade there'll be a document that does not format right on the church computer, and if that happens she can go there herself and fix it. But she's got it into her head that she needs 100%. I even tell her she can run genuine MS Windows for the Mac. But I cannot tell her that even that is exactly 100% compatible. She gives herself ulcers using an OS she despises.

I wonder how many business really need Windows, and how many are just too ignorant of computers and unwilling to investigate their real needs and learn what options are available other than Bill-ware. Or just too afraid to do something they believe in "unconventional."

 

The link only took me to the main Apple page.

Can you do any better?

ZC1

 

What type of conclusion is this?
Read your response slowly word for word.

Darn it, you're right I'm gonna have to stop cashing those checks I get from corporations that are paying me consultant fees to fix their networks and computers.
Darn it.

ZC1

 

This one was funny, "cream of the crop" indians.
Hehe.

(Does anyone realize the Indians are reading scripted sheets? When you get to the heart of the issue right off the bat, they are clueless. Been there, done that.)


ZC1

 

if youre completely unaware of an entire brands capability, i'd say that puts a hole in what is referred to in the business world as "expert power". as in people listen to you because youre an expert.

i wouldnt stop cashing checks, i'd simple use my new knowledge to inform people of a different (and in some peoples opinion), better choice

 

An excerpt:

Dell Hell: Computer Giant Faces Consumer Lawsuit


Consumers Allege They Didn't Get the Tech Support They Paid For


May 16, 2007

239 comments

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Dell is the No. 2 computer seller in the United States, but now some say the technology giant is ripping off its customers.
The computer company said it would "vigorously defend" itself in court.
(AP Photo)

New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against Dell, accusing the company of deceptive, fraudulent and illegal business practices.
"You can have aggressive marketing, and if you go too far it's consumer fraud," Cuomo said Tuesday. "In our opinion they went too far, and this is consumer fraud. They offered a product, a service that they didn't deliver."
Part of the suit claims that though Dell gave the impression of an "award-winning service" available to consumers "24 hours a day, seven days a week," consumers faced "nightmarish obstacles" to get help and technical service for their computers. Cuomo said New York had received 700 complaints about Dell -- more than the number of complaints for any other related subject.

Consumers in Dell Hell

Some Dell owners say when they sought help for their PCs, they endured a kind of Dell Hell.
Barbara Williams, a 67-year-old retiree who runs a crochet club from her computer, paid Dell for an "in-home" service plan that can cost up to $300. When her computer broke down, she called Dell thinking a technician would come to her home to fix it. Instead, the technician at the other end of the line told her to dissect her computer on her own.

Read the rest at ABC News: Dell Sued Over Shoddy Tech Support

or better yet, Google the phrase "Dell Hell"

ZC1

 

Where is the link to back up your assertion that Macs benchmark faster than comparable PCs?

I'm waiting.

ZC1

 

There is plenty of general software for mac users available but from a business perspective there are many more titles to select from when in a Windows environment. A business typically does not care about the platform as much as they do the efficiency to their specific business of utilizing a particular application.

There is a pretty good job cost software available for mac for contractors, for example, from Turtlecreek, and it has been around for years... However most government contracts require Privavera or MS Project for PM software as part of their specification and both these packages link more cleanly to the other software suites that contractors traditionally use, plus are scalable from small to enterprise contractors.

Same with most general accounting software, and most medical software, and most contact management software....

The problem is not that Apple doesn't provide a great interface, good performance, and great reliability, it is the simple number of options for the majority of business people.

Also, small business typically does not want to invest in a non OS specific browser access type of infrastructure, and small business makes up the vast majority of software sales of business related applications.

Some industries such as medical and accounting have extremely tight requirements for network infrastructure monitoring and logging and for small clinics and firms the 80% applicability right out of the box reduces their overhead expenses in maintaining their compliance standing.

Plus most of their existing clients have Windows based PCs and the simple fear of venturing into a less generally supported platform sends shivers down the neck of the average IT person who more than likely has more experience in the Windows environment.

At one time I had two full time Mac technicians and supported many "mixed" environments. However the business overhead of maintaining the different plaforms became a simple numbers game in terms of total expense.

When Apple came into my town and directly sold the largest school systems in my area and cut me out of the dealer loop I was forced to lay my Mac techs off and cancelled my dealer contract as I was losing money selling and maintaining the Macintosh platform. When our local college switched away from Mac the calls for Mac products and service dwindled to virtually nothing.

There was nothing i could do at that point as it was costing me more to maintain any sort of infrastructure for macintosh support than I was recouping in revenue.

 

It's not just Indians. I've had phone support people speaking American English who were clearly reading a script, and I've had them tell me to do things that made no sense under the circumstances, but were clearly the things that are generally recommended before they make any real effort to solve your problem. On one occasion I had my computer screwed up seriously because I did what the support person told me to do, and then that person had no idea how to restore the previous condition, because of course he had no idea what he was telling me to do (from the script) in the first place.

That's why now I only buy from a local store with real technicians working there, if at all possible. I got my Mac at a local Apple store, and the guys there can answer any questions I have, and if I need repair work I can take it in and actually speak face to face with the guys who will be working on it.

 

I've found Apple's phone support to be excellent. I paid extra for a longer term warranty and support period, and the price was more than worth it.

 

heres one:

Macworld | First Look: From the Lab: XP-on-Mac benchmarks

and another:

AppleInsider | Windows XP on Intel Mac benchmarked

funny what you can find with two seconds worth of googling instead of trying to rest on some (non existant) holier than thou laurels

 

I don't have a dog in this fight. I just use the computers, I don't make 'em, and I'm not so intellectually limited that I can only use one platform competently. I'm in management, but I still monitor things to make sure my staff is receiving the best h/w to maximize their productivity. I have five computers in my office, a Dell Precision Workstation with SuSE 10.1, x86 iMac w/OS X 10.5, PPC Mac w/10.4, Dell Precision Workstation with XP, and a Lenovo Thinkpad T61 w/XP and I use all of them regularly.

That said, I do have an interest in making sure all of the information is out there. As far as Macs being the best hardware for running Windows, I know a recent major PC magazine reviewed a MacBook Pro and called it the best notebook for running Windows. Correction, they called it the FASTEST notebook for running Windows.

PC World - In Pictures: The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007

The top of the line MacPro workstations are pretty much identical to the top of the line Dell Precision Workstations as far as components. Both offer dual quad-core 3.2GHz Xeons with 12MB L2 cache, 800MHz DDR2 memory and 1600MHz front-side buses, and use the exact same Intel chipsets on the motherboards. A lot of our developers chose MacPros as their Windows development systems as they were equal or superior to the Dell PWS in every way, and had the advantage of being able to boot Mac OS X if needed. I'm sure I could hunt down a benchmark that shows MacPros to be among the highest performing Windows workstations.

 

oh and one more

Apple MacBook Pro 'fastest Windows XP notebook' | Register Hardware

 

Call yourself whatever you want. You've just revealed yourself to everyone to be woefully ignorant of industry developments.

Fixing computers and networks is generally considered a low-value skill that doesn't contribute to any company's core competency. That's why you outsource it to low-paid contractors, and spend your resources to acquire the talent where it actually matters.

 

Correct, however I bet this person's clients do not utilize print media when providing him with information... Say someone brings a set of financials in on a flash drive... Or a cd or dvd.... Or suppose an application update is necessary to provide new functionality... Or perhaps his work is subject to a compliance act that requires updated anti-virus software?

Also, some industries highly encourage georgaphically diverse backup strategies...

I simply do not know enough about the excat situation to comment on what is or what is not appropriate for the level of need.

What I do know is that someone qualified to help would likely be a very wise investment.

 

It really is mostly just Indians. It's totally a cultural/educational thing.

I interviewed slightly over 50 candidates for a handful of engineering positions in our Hyderabad office last year. I found that just about every candidate who was qualified could answer basic 'get the answer out of a textbook' type questions.

When I asked any question that required any kind of creative thinking or the ability to think outside of the box, the number of correct responses dwindled down to 3. When I interview US/European educated candidates, Indian candidates included, I usually have a 25% success rate on the same question.

And even while working with them, I found that everything had to be spelled out as thoroughly as possible. There's just no ability for improvisation or to assume.

I'm assuming factors like this are why Apple and (to a lesser extent) HP have pulled their help centers and engineering centers out of India.