Help me convince work to let me have a Mac

hazmat

hazmat

Rusher of Din
I need your help here. At work I run a PC with Win2k. I can't stand it anymore. I want a Mac. I have even thought of getting a cheap G4 on my own to use at work. Problem is something about using non-work hardware on the network. Some policy. So my boss is really cool and she said that maybe we can figure out a reason why I would need a Mac over a PC. I need valid arguments. I do UNIX system administration of 4 Solaris servers. All I can really think of is that I can have better connectivity between a BSD machine (Mac) and the Solaris servers. But of course Win2k connects fine to them, so it's not much of an argument. Any suggestions? And please don't give me silly answers like "Because Macs are better than PCs" or "Because PCs suck", etc. Those are stupid arguments and not true.

Thanks.
 
Because Macs are better than PCs. Those are stupid arguments and not true.
Click to expand...

Sorry but I don't have an answer to help you in your situation, but to say it is not true that Macs are better than PCs. I'm sorry, but I must disagree with you. While I think the difference between the two platforms aren't as vast as they once were, I do think Macs are better than PCs.
Sorry to help out, but just had to add my $.02 to your remark. Good luck in trying to convince the boss.
 
They are different. Simple as that. Saying one is better is personal opinion. But this is not the thread for that.
 
Yeah, let's not start another 'Mac vs. PC' flame war here!
Here is my idea: You tell her that you will be more productive on a Mac. That is true, isn't it?
 
Originally posted by dlloyd
Yeah, let's not start another 'Mac vs. PC' flame war here!
Here is my idea: You tell her that you will be more productive on a Mac. That is true, isn't it?
Click to expand...

It IS true, but I would have to give examples that "lay" people would understand, and I find myself unable to come up with valid (in their eyes) reasons. I'll try and work on the productivity thing. I'll work on the UNIX thing and try and confuse them I guess. ;)
 
Maybe this will help. Maybe someone from where I work will read this and I'll get fired for hanging a personal machine off the corporate network (we have the same policy)... Oh well... :)

I also do sysadmin work on a number of solaris machines and I use my PowerBook when I can to do my work. It's much nicer than the Windows machine for a couple of reasons:

1. Terminal emulation is much better in Terminal and xterms (through X11). The telnet client in Win2k is better than previous versions, but it's still not quite right for proper emulation, and I find vi is much happier when I work from my Mac. On windows, there is PuTTY and Cygwin, so the gap is narrower there, but both of those are not nearly so nice as the options on the Mac. Even Terminal does a better job than PuTTY...

2. X11 is a really sweet XWindows server. It more closely resembles X on Solaris, so it has a generally easier time rendering remote GUIs than eXceed or Cygwin/XFree86

3. MacOSX can mount NFS volumes natively. That's a fair trick to do on a Windows machine, usually requiring additional software.

Personal preference is certainly part of the argument, but I do think that the toolset on Macintosh is much more suited to being in a Unix environment.
 
Thanks, Kenny. Those are definitely some great arguments. And you are right about OS X being better suited for UNIX admin. Only thing I can say about your point in #1 is that I use SecureCRT under Windows. Couldn't ask for better software.

But overall those give me some more ammunition. :)
 
I didn't know about SecureCRT. Looks like a nice bit o' software, but for $99, it'd better be... And, maybe that's part of the argument. All of this is included with MacOSX/X11, as far as I know...
 
SecureCRT is one of those things that is worth every penny. The functionality is awesome and Van Dyke's support is some of the best I have ever seen. Quick, non-canned replies, and very open to feature requests. In the earlier days of the software they would actually sometimes send me alpha versions that had fixed problems I was having. I love these guys.
 
Secure CRT is a nice app. We use it at work to monitor hosting servers and circuits, etc. However my Win2K has a problem when i get too many open connections at once.
 
How about...

Request a Powerbook so you can admin on the move, price comparisons between a PB and similarly spec'd dell and IBM laptops are favourable (At least over here in the UK). You get great wireless connectivity built in which is a real bonus (you'll need an Airport base station though) and a top flight unix installed. Powerbooks tend to be as robust or more so than their PC counterparts in terms of reliability and have best in class battery life.

Try to turn the argument on its head, why shouldnt you have a Mac? if they come back with issues involving support say you'll do your own support.
 
It has nothing to do with money; it's a lot of crap involved. But unfortunately it's a moot issue. No Mac. The laptop I have is a Fujitsu P-2110. Very cool. So now I'm going to run BeOS. And btw, the PB doesn't need an Airport BS for wireless. Any 802.11b router or WAP will do. But I guess you knew that. :)


 
You could try pointing out that Apple machines have a tendency to hold their resale value much better than PCs. Also, since they tend not to be upgraded or overclocked but simply replaced every few years, their ongoing costs are lower.
They also tend to remain useful long after the point at which most PCs get given away... compare a five or ten year old mac to a PC of the same age and price-point to see this principle in action.
 
I have recently closed my studio and started working in a bank, and I have showed the IT personnel as well as the staff how easy a Mac integrates into a PC environment.

10.2.5 is the OS loaded, and I can see everyone on the network easily, setting up my Airport so that there is no need to run additional network cables to my new office.

Opens all Office files without problems and most importantly, one less terminal to worry about virus!

Being a manager it was easier to convince my chairman to let me have things my way. My number one excuse : Mac makes me more productive at work!
 
i agree with plastic - your number one argument is that it will me me a better worker. ergonomics definetly have an effect on how well you work. if you have a really nice comfortable well designed chair you become able to sit in the chair for longer periods of time, and thus you work more. the same thing is true with mac's. if you arent comfortable with a pc you aren't able to sit behind it for as long as you would be able to with a mac. it might be hard to push this one through an administration, but coupled with the other arguments here you should be able to get one.
 
Also try the opposite. Let them say why they actually _don't_ want you to have a Mac and then argue against the points. However, if there IS one that you can't really fight, also be fair and accept it.
 
What specifically made you decide you were fed up with Windows? Try telling her if it's a valid point. If it craps out on you every other day, then you definitely should get a Mac. If you can't stand the User Keep-out-terface, tell her that too. Convince her why Windows won't work for you anymore.
 
Here are some things to think about. Not really arguments for or against, just some issues that could come up.

- If she gets you a Mac and you quit/get fired, how usuable is that Mac going to be for someone else in the company, esp if no one else knows anything about Macs.

- The only remotely compelling argument I've heard is the issue of connectivity and X compatability. Are the servers you admin in some distant place (other floor, other building, secured area). If they're sitting right next to you and you have four Sun keyboards and Monitors sitting right there, then the connectivity issue becomes very uncompelling. Not that it's nicer, but it has to be a whole lot more than "nice" to warrant introducing another type of machine into your environment right?

- Exactly what DO you do all day that would truely benefit from using a Mac. Many of the arguments given are very generic (e.g. so what if X compatibility is better, what do you do with X that would benefit that much from having better compatibility).

- Above and beyond what ships with the machine, what other software licenses are you going to require. If your company has licenses for software they use, they may not cover the Mac versions (Office/Outlook being the obvious one here, but also things like virus scanners).

- What immediate impact on your productivity will result from the Mac. Assuming you've already got your PC setup the way you want it, how long will it take for you get get the Mac all setup (software installed, configured, etc).

Good luck to you. I think that in the end, you'll be at the mercy of your boss. Unless you have some very specific things to point out, these types of arguments are tough to win because in the end, there are very few truely compelling reasons to switch over to the Mac (in your case). If she likes you ;) then you have a shot. If she's a bottom line watcher, then you're most likely hosed (again, unless you have that "killer app").
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top