When I made the switch to Macs back in 2008, my productivity shot up. Gone were the days where I had to babysit my Windows machine and wasting countless of hours over the years to keep it stable due to shoddy drivers, unstable Windows updates, and general all-around bugs.
At his me I gave up the on Windows after a service pack install hosed an NT 4 machine. I then switched to Linux for many years. Linux at the time had lots of problems too but at lest you didn't have an opaque coporation to deal with.
My "computer" went from being something akin as being in a bad relationship, to actually become a tool that helped me get my job done.
I went to a Mac laptop in 2008. It is a good decision if you want a reliable machine that just works. It is possibly not so good of a choice if you want to do hardware development work. On the other hand with VM's another OS just becomes another app to start up.
This coming from a guy that built his own power rigs for ages. I got off that train and never looked back.
The value in build your own and the rapid upgrades is largely gone these day. Built in GPUs are now good enough for many. Further by the time the hardware isn't good enough a complete new machine is in order if you want all the best new features.
I'm actually glad to be off the upgrade/build train myself. If something gets built these days the expectation would be for it to last awhile.
This report proves the choice was a wise one.
Still it is hard to get off MS based hardware in the business world. Many apps out there only run on MS Windows. In some cases only on old versions. I still have Windows XP based machines around to run software that doesn't work on newer versions of Windows. In the automation world a lot of software seems to get abandoned by the companies that use to make the hardware.
That's basically the same story with me. I went from Gateway, Dell, then building my own machines. After I while, I got so fed up with all the constant issues I had with Windows. I eventually bought a 24" iMac and have never looked back.
Same thing. I previously built my own machines, but got irritated with the upkeep required (being a med student and having to spend valuable hours troubleshooting things when they break is irritating). Then I switched to mobile, buying from the big name PC manufacturers. Was nice to have someone to handle hardware, but the software was still windows. Then I switched to linux. Fixed a lot of the problems, but again, you have no real tech support. I love linux for servers and what have you, but none of my apps run native. About five years ago I made a hackintosh (I know that's probably not a good word around here) and something amazing happened: Even on my rigged version of OSX, everything just worked. Since then I've been slowly converting over. Just ordered my first rMBP three days ago. Can't wait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sog35
Agree.
The millennial generation all grew up using Apple products. The i-Generation (born into the iPhone world) will even more entrenched into Apple. Only a matter of time before the old retire and the new generation moves away from windows.
I was a die hard android fan. Then I started to mess around with roms and custom coding. Now I tell people that I learned from android that I should use iOS. Security problems are just the icing on a giant, frustrating cake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal
We have a network admin that is a die-hard Apple hater. In the beginning, I was the only Mac user in the company. Seeing that my workstation never had issues, the IT director decided to get his first Mac (a rMBP) against the recommendations of the admin. His problems went away.
Next, the VP of the company after suffering for years of abysmal PC issues, took a glance and inquired. The admin refused to endorse it so he went directly to us to ask about our experience. That week he brought his first rMBP and his problems went away. He continuously praises Apple for something as simple as having a sleep-mode that "actually works".
Since then, the admin bought his own MBP only because "he needs to support us in case Mac issues arise" which strangely, we never asked him since day one. Since then, many more users have went the Mac route.
The company gave iPhones as company policy. He refuses to use one to this day.
All our workstations use VMware to run Windows and the only issues we get are network issues identifying problems with the admin's network. Thanks to IBM porting their legacy development tools away from Windows-only, I don't even use Windows anymore in the office.
I would see this as a plus for admins. The less time being used to deal with client/PC issues could be better allocated to maintaining/improving infrastructure.
I formerly worked admin and help desk at a university, and after the installation of several mac labs, our department atrophied over time, leading to some serious dislike. It is basically job protection. You run a Microsoft environment, you have a steady stream of calls (Especially during updates, made some good overtime those days), and thus a steady job.
Basically IBM just said "the computing platform that we invented sucks".
Well, IBM is a large company and one of the largest backers behind Unix. So I'm not sure what the causality is here, a lot of the stuff behind the glossy UI have origins inside IBM
Basically IBM just said "the computing platform that we invented sucks".
The thing is, they didn't invent it: they bought Microsoft's OS which in itself was the Quick and Dirty OS purchased from a different Seattle developer.
IBM started work on its own OS/2 pretty much soon after, but that's another story.
The university lab I ran had 16 iMacs and 4 Dell PCs. This was 1999-2001, so it was OS9 vs Win95. Even then it took my staff the same amount of time each week to babysit the 4 PCs as the 16 iMacs. Time is money and in this case time was also productivity working on more important things.
Tech guys want to keep their jobs fixing these complicated machines that on-one else can fix. It makes them powerful and irreplaceable. That's why they hate supporting Macs because they don't need too.
The thing is, they didn't invent it: they bought Microsoft's OS which in itself was the Quick and Dirty OS purchased from a different Seattle developer.
IBM started work on its own OS/2 pretty much soon after, but that's another story.
IBM is behind many different OSes like OS/2 and PC DOS.. but also AIX, K42 etc etc..
just out of curiosity, what do you do and what productivity tools/apps do you use for work, other than Safari web browser?
The majority of my work involves software development on (coincidentally) IBM midrange legacy systems for numerous clients. For the last few years, it also included iOS development.
IBM only had their development tools available for Windows only, which necessitated my installing Windows (via VMware Fusion). Last year, IBM ported their tools to be compatible with OSX.
I also set up and maintain Windows Server environments for a few clients. All the configurations and testing are done on my trusty 2009 iMac using VMware Fusion. My last project last month at one site comprised of three Win2012 servers & SQLServer 2014. All configured on my iMac and ported to the new host machine.
The flexibility and reliability of Apple's hardware still impresses me to this day. I can do my actual work, and not worry about the instabilities associated with a Wintel machine.
They know their job may be on the line if Mac's are adopted because of fewer problems.
We have a network admin that is a die-hard Apple hater. In the beginning, I was the only Mac user in the company. Seeing that my workstation never had issues, the IT director decided to get his first Mac (a rMBP) against the recommendations of the admin. His problems went away.
Next, the VP of the company after suffering for years of abysmal PC issues, took a glance and inquired. The admin refused to endorse it so he went directly to us to ask about our experience. That week he brought his first rMBP and his problems went away. He continuously praises Apple for something as simple as having a sleep-mode that "actually works".
Since then, the admin bought his own MBP only because "he needs to support us in case Mac issues arise" which strangely, we never asked him since day one. Since then, many more users have went the Mac route.
The company gave iPhones as company policy. He refuses to use one to this day.
All our workstations use VMware to run Windows and the only issues we get are network issues identifying problems with the admin's network. Thanks to IBM porting their legacy development tools away from Windows-only, I don't even use Windows anymore in the office.
I would see this as a plus for admins. The less time being used to deal with client/PC issues could be better allocated to maintaining/improving infrastructure.
It is a plus for everyone except "Kingdom builders." The old IT concept that one is more important by having a big staff is dying out, but still present. In addition Gen Y and Z don't have the fear of network administrators that older managers once had. The emperor has no clothes and more people are pointing it out.
In the 1990s there was a white paper done that pointed out the savings of using Macs that was very well done. It was roundly ignored at the time, but today there's less fear about slaughtering sacred cows when they've outlived their fashionable lifetime.
To paraphrase Max Planck: “A new computing truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”
Agree.
The millennial generation all grew up using Apple products. The i-Generation (born into the iPhone world) will even more entrenched into Apple. Only a matter of time before the old retire and the new generation moves away from windows.
The above is so full of truth it burns itself into one's soul.
If you go to the iOS app store and do a search on "IBM" you will get hundreds of hits. Apps are there written by IBM and many others to handle needs from networking to data bases.
Well let's hope not. That is a reliable system shouldn't require a lot of restarts.
I have a rather new iMac that needs restarts now and then...it's not the system as much as it's some apps that get corrupted that I can't even force quit.
This does not surprise me at all. We have only a dozen or so Macs in my company and zero support calls are made by these users. Quality of hardware and software. Most of the time it truly "just works".
I have a rather new iMac that needs restarts now and then...it's not the system as much as it's some apps that get corrupted that I can't even force quit.
Since then I couldn't stop raving. I remember feeling like I stepped out of a time machine into the future with my iMac running Snow Leaopard.
Til this day it's still going strong.
I had spent possibly days fixing my own Windows machines. I wish I could get all that lost time back. De-fragmenting, hour long malware scans, updating virus databases, hunting down drivers, disc clean ups ack!!
I had a very similar background to many here and have been very happy with my choice of platforms for many years.
In my experience, using my Mac is like getting a hug from a beautiful lady. Having to use the PC for work purposes is like being daily slapped in the face with a big fish.
Comments
Basically IBM just said "the computing platform that we invented sucks".
Originally Posted by lkrupp
More like the operating system Bill Gates bought from a third party and licensed to IBM sucks to this day.
Yeah but at the time the IBM PC was introduced, Bill Gates was just a component supplier, so it's still IBM that foisted the crappy OS on humanity.
I'm actually glad to be off the upgrade/build train myself. If something gets built these days the expectation would be for it to last awhile.
Still it is hard to get off MS based hardware in the business world. Many apps out there only run on MS Windows. In some cases only on old versions. I still have Windows XP based machines around to run software that doesn't work on newer versions of Windows. In the automation world a lot of software seems to get abandoned by the companies that use to make the hardware.
That's basically the same story with me. I went from Gateway, Dell, then building my own machines. After I while, I got so fed up with all the constant issues I had with Windows. I eventually bought a 24" iMac and have never looked back.
Same thing. I previously built my own machines, but got irritated with the upkeep required (being a med student and having to spend valuable hours troubleshooting things when they break is irritating). Then I switched to mobile, buying from the big name PC manufacturers. Was nice to have someone to handle hardware, but the software was still windows. Then I switched to linux. Fixed a lot of the problems, but again, you have no real tech support. I love linux for servers and what have you, but none of my apps run native. About five years ago I made a hackintosh (I know that's probably not a good word around here) and something amazing happened: Even on my rigged version of OSX, everything just worked. Since then I've been slowly converting over. Just ordered my first rMBP three days ago. Can't wait.
Agree.
The millennial generation all grew up using Apple products. The i-Generation (born into the iPhone world) will even more entrenched into Apple. Only a matter of time before the old retire and the new generation moves away from windows.
I was a die hard android fan. Then I started to mess around with roms and custom coding. Now I tell people that I learned from android that I should use iOS. Security problems are just the icing on a giant, frustrating cake.
We have a network admin that is a die-hard Apple hater. In the beginning, I was the only Mac user in the company. Seeing that my workstation never had issues, the IT director decided to get his first Mac (a rMBP) against the recommendations of the admin. His problems went away.
Next, the VP of the company after suffering for years of abysmal PC issues, took a glance and inquired. The admin refused to endorse it so he went directly to us to ask about our experience. That week he brought his first rMBP and his problems went away. He continuously praises Apple for something as simple as having a sleep-mode that "actually works".
Since then, the admin bought his own MBP only because "he needs to support us in case Mac issues arise" which strangely, we never asked him since day one. Since then, many more users have went the Mac route.
The company gave iPhones as company policy. He refuses to use one to this day.
All our workstations use VMware to run Windows and the only issues we get are network issues identifying problems with the admin's network. Thanks to IBM porting their legacy development tools away from Windows-only, I don't even use Windows anymore in the office.
I would see this as a plus for admins. The less time being used to deal with client/PC issues could be better allocated to maintaining/improving infrastructure.
I formerly worked admin and help desk at a university, and after the installation of several mac labs, our department atrophied over time, leading to some serious dislike. It is basically job protection. You run a Microsoft environment, you have a steady stream of calls (Especially during updates, made some good overtime those days), and thus a steady job.
Basically IBM just said "the computing platform that we invented sucks".
Well, IBM is a large company and one of the largest backers behind Unix. So I'm not sure what the causality is here, a lot of the stuff behind the glossy UI have origins inside IBM
The thing is, they didn't invent it: they bought Microsoft's OS which in itself was the Quick and Dirty OS purchased from a different Seattle developer.
IBM started work on its own OS/2 pretty much soon after, but that's another story.
The university lab I ran had 16 iMacs and 4 Dell PCs. This was 1999-2001, so it was OS9 vs Win95. Even then it took my staff the same amount of time each week to babysit the 4 PCs as the 16 iMacs. Time is money and in this case time was also productivity working on more important things.
Well let's hope not. That is a reliable system shouldn't require a lot of restarts.
I'm actually wondering if the requests for Mac support are more technical in nature. The simple stuff is already taken care of on a Mac.
This has been the case for a long time.
Tech guys want to keep their jobs fixing these complicated machines that on-one else can fix. It makes them powerful and irreplaceable. That's why they hate supporting Macs because they don't need too.
The thing is, they didn't invent it: they bought Microsoft's OS which in itself was the Quick and Dirty OS purchased from a different Seattle developer.
IBM started work on its own OS/2 pretty much soon after, but that's another story.
IBM is behind many different OSes like OS/2 and PC DOS.. but also AIX, K42 etc etc..
just out of curiosity, what do you do and what productivity tools/apps do you use for work, other than Safari web browser?
The majority of my work involves software development on (coincidentally) IBM midrange legacy systems for numerous clients. For the last few years, it also included iOS development.
IBM only had their development tools available for Windows only, which necessitated my installing Windows (via VMware Fusion). Last year, IBM ported their tools to be compatible with OSX.
I also set up and maintain Windows Server environments for a few clients. All the configurations and testing are done on my trusty 2009 iMac using VMware Fusion. My last project last month at one site comprised of three Win2012 servers & SQLServer 2014. All configured on my iMac and ported to the new host machine.
The flexibility and reliability of Apple's hardware still impresses me to this day. I can do my actual work, and not worry about the instabilities associated with a Wintel machine.
It is a plus for everyone except "Kingdom builders." The old IT concept that one is more important by having a big staff is dying out, but still present. In addition Gen Y and Z don't have the fear of network administrators that older managers once had. The emperor has no clothes and more people are pointing it out.
In the 1990s there was a white paper done that pointed out the savings of using Macs that was very well done. It was roundly ignored at the time, but today there's less fear about slaughtering sacred cows when they've outlived their fashionable lifetime.
The above is so full of truth it burns itself into one's soul.
If you go to the iOS app store and do a search on "IBM" you will get hundreds of hits. Apps are there written by IBM and many others to handle needs from networking to data bases.
90% of those 5% are probably "I forgot my password".
The rest are fixed by restarting the Mac.
As are most PC issues. First thing they teach you in IT school. "Have you rebooted yet?"
I have a rather new iMac that needs restarts now and then...it's not the system as much as it's some apps that get corrupted that I can't even force quit.
I have a rather new iMac that needs restarts now and then...it's not the system as much as it's some apps that get corrupted that I can't even force quit.
Sounds faulty, take it back.
Since then I couldn't stop raving. I remember feeling like I stepped out of a time machine into the future with my iMac running Snow Leaopard.
Til this day it's still going strong.
I had spent possibly days fixing my own Windows machines. I wish I could get all that lost time back. De-fragmenting, hour long malware scans, updating virus databases, hunting down drivers, disc clean ups ack!!
In my experience, using my Mac is like getting a hug from a beautiful lady. Having to use the PC for work purposes is like being daily slapped in the face with a big fish.