>From a tech support point of view:
1) I agree with those who have stated the position that there is little
difference in performance potential.
2) As a hardware nut, I personally suspect that a powerhouse PC could be
built with better price/performance ratio than a MAC. Commodity
economics. I wonder how many PCs are built for each MAC (10:1, 100:1 or
more?)
3) Utility software:
There is very little (if any) utility software that isn't available for
PC.
Availability for MAC is far more patchy.
I use a bunch of highly useful and powerful tools like Symantec Ghost,
Anti-Virus, file management any many other obscure and handy tools that
are often not available for MAC.
4) PCs integrate easily into my PC support systems (AV, backup etc.)
MACs require extra effort, resources and tools to accommodate.
5) Regardless of merit, having 2 classes of computer rather than 1
creates extra support workload, regardless of which may be better. VHS
is technically inferior to Betamax, and certainly Philips 2000 (ever
heard of that?) yet nobody would ever advocate adopting either of the
latter pair.
6) While many techs respect MACs, I've never yet met a tech who actually
advocated for them. Think about that. Frankly, the individuals I've
encountered who most vociferously advocate for them generally have
little technical background. As a techie I therefore find it hard to
find their positions compelling. If I want advice on a well-engineered
car I'm more likely to listen to a mechanic than a taxi driver.
Let's be clear: I'm not anti-MAC. I'm just not pro-MAC, and I've not
been convinced yet by anybody who is.
David M
===========================================
David Marsh
System Administrator
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
Vancouver Museum
1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9
E sysadmin at hrmacmillanspacecentre.com
sysadmin at vanmuseum.bc.ca
T (604) 736 4431 ext. 5507
C (604) 813 9667
===========================================
-----Original Message-----
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
Randy Heise
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 12:17 PM
To: 'Museum Computer Network Listserv'
Subject: Re: [MCN-L] Tricky question - is Mac "better" than PC?
With the latest operating systems both machines co-exist on the network
very
well. We have Macs in the Graphics, Exhibit design and Multi-media
departments. Cost is equal. It would it would initially appear that the
Mac
is more expensive, but by the time you've spent the money on a PC to
make it
an equivelent performer you could buy a Mac for the same amount. As far
as
the Administration portions of the Museum ... PC's are far superior
simply
because the majority of Museum specific software available is written
for a
PC. It becomes not a question of the machine itself but of the useage
that
dictates which is best for what job. My advice would be 'apply the best
tool
to the job at hand' and don't be afraid to mix when necessary. Our Macs
log
on to an MS Exchange server for e-mail, share calendar functions with
the
PCs, store data on Win2K3 servers, print to windows printers and behave
on
the network like any other workstation. I would not waste the power of a
Mac
for writing word documents nor performing accounting functions. I would
also
not waste the time required to make the average PC perform as well as a
Mac
in graphics oriented duties. Just my .02 typed on a PC while my G4
mactop is
beside it monitoring traffic flow on my Win2K3 Network.
Randy Heise
Information Technology Manager
High Desert Museum
59800 South Hwy 97
Bend, OR 97702
541.382.4754 x244
rheise at highdesertmuseum.org
www.highdesertmuseum.org
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