Mac v PC

[skiddaw]

Can anyone help resolve a friendly argument.
I'm setting up an IT system for a small company.
Do I buy macs or do I buy PC's? Over the years I've used both
and for me it's more about what you do with them rather than what they
are. Lets leave the budget issues aside just this once. Which would you choose?

 

[ScottyUK]

PC for me: I don't work or play in the creative arts field; I use a PC at work because I have no choice; software-wise pretty much everything I want is available for the PC. If I wanted a Unix system then I'd go to Sun, but that's because I used to be a Solaris system admin in a previous life.

If you add in the obvious budget issues then I can get more performance per unit currency with an Intel / Windows system, plus I don't like Apple's design philosophy whereby everything is deliberately made non-standard just to be awkward. That nonsense helped to kill DEC, and it will kill Apple eventually.

 

[IRstuff]

Doesn't the type of business activity enter into the equation at all? How can you ask this question without getting the responders' occupation?

PC, since they're never going to get Mathcad on a Mac, but, that's beside the point.

TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

 

[LiteYear]

Smells like a troll. What could we possibly add to this 30 year old argument given that you've provided almost no parameters?

Luckily I have the only answer that matters:

Go Mac. Your workers will be happier, and more inspired. Your office photos will be schmick and your customers will think you're from the future. The "design philosophy" follows as many standards as the PC world does, only that you know up front that every piece of hardware will work with every piece of software because the hardware platform is controlled by one party. Apple is only growing (though admittedly, due to their booming non-desktop businesses). You'll spend less time dealing with adware, viruses, security breaches and hardware conflicts, and more time smiling. You get a full native Unix environment built-in for all the power of the command line and the wealth of Unix software. And if you ever need to run Windows, you can run Windows on the Mac. Not virtualisation (though you can do that too), but literally booting into Windows. Maybe leave one Mac in the corner running Windows and see if anyone uses it.

Or not. Up to you.

 

[skiddaw]

Many thanks, I love this - Maybe leave one Mac in the corner running Windows and see if anyone uses it.

It's a small school uniform supplier.

 

[xwb]

Really depends on what kind of software you need and whether you can get the staff who know how to use it. Some types of software are available on all platforms. Others are only available on specified platforms. Also, what do their clients use? Are they writing software for use on client machines? Writing on a Mac for a Linux or Windows client is a non-starter. Can they get the software they intend to use on a Mac?

Do they intend to publish their software? Have they studied the Apple software release procedures? They are not as simple as Linux or Windows. Will the software release just be a file drop? Do they have to transfer spreadsheets and documents to clients - in what format? Do you know if the Mac is capable of generating these formats?

How about servers? Will everything be networked? How big a server do they need? Does Apple make big servers? Can they get the staff who know anything about Apple servers? Would you need a Windows or Linux server? How much do you need to know to fix it if the system goes wrong? How about backing up the servers

How about remote access to the machines or servers? Does the company need remote access? How easy is it to set up remote access to individual machines or the server?

On the surface, Macs might be OK. Dig a bit deeper and see if you can find a community that knows more about them than the average Mac user and how they really work. Check the forums - are most of the questions unanswered. What sort of problems do people have. IT support isn't just about installation - you have to know how to fix any problems that arise.