Hi, all, As a long-time reader of this list, I know there are a number of you out there who tend multiple computer installations, including mixed Mac and MS-based PC ones. I would like some justifications/talking points to bolster my view that for a small (3-4 computer) church office, staying with our all-Mac installation is cost-effective as we are being pushed to replace them all with Windows systems. Currently, we have an old 700 MHz G3 (OS 10.3.9) iMac, a 1.25 GHz eMac (OS 10.3.9), and a 2-yr-old 1.5 GHz 15" Powerbook (OS 10.4.11), all on a CAT5e LAN via a 5-port switch, an 802.11g 4-port wireless router (running wrt firmware) and a Comcast-supplied cable modem. Most of what we do is word processing and document production for church programs, as well as the usual Internet connectivity things like email and web access. All systems have MS Office 2004 and Filemaker 7.1 - we use the latter for a variety of database functions such as purchase order tracking, etc. The eMac also has Virtual PC installed that is used to run an OLD Windows 98 calendar program that we like.
My stance, being the one who set most of this up about 4-5 years ago, is that we (a) don't have anyone to watch over an office LAN all the time as needed for a Windows-based environment, (b) we couldn't afford it if we did and there is no one in the church who can do it gratis, (c) replacing all the Office and Filemaker software would be extremely expensive, and (d) the inevitable decline in security would result in a major breach in short order. I would much prefer to buy 3 new iMacs (will need another for a new staff member) and upgrade the Powerbook to Leopard, keeping all the existing software and/or upgrading as required (already have FM 9 ready to go). So, experts, what say you? (and thanks in advance for your sage advice) Ramon Tate Rockville, Maryland --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Low End Mac's iMac List, a group for those using G3, G4, G5, and Intel Core iMacs as well as Apple eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist?hl=en Low End Mac RSS feed at feed://lowendmac.com/feed.xml -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
