All, Thanks for the many replies. Just to summarize and respond:
1. I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm anti-d'Hell. Pretty much every test station I've had responsibility for in the past 5+ years here was built around one of their desktop or small tower configurations. With few exceptions, they've proven to be a reliable choice. 2. I wasn't looking to change the form factor or scope of this existing setup. I just wanted to replace a small tower workstation with a newer one. I've often looked at rackmount/passive backplane/industrial PC setups but they've never (in hindsight) been justifiable for our apps. 3. Being attached to the same corporate net used by every other PC and server in the facility is pretty fundamental to the way we do business. 4. Our 'IT department' consists of two long-term, hard-working regular guys here at our location, and a small army of people at our HQ location and other sites. My argument was with a policy, not with a person. The only thing that seems to have changed about the situation since other, earlier purchases for test equipment use is the level of charges on the invoice for software licensing which I argue is unnecessary, but others tell me is required for corporate liability's sake. While I framed the issue in terms of being a good steward of the company's money, the greater perspective is that it's just a cost of doing business. The PO went up the chain unmodified from the original quote. As I described, that's about 900 USD for a basic PC with XPpro (no monitor), and about 480 USD for additional licenses. If this is the price of feeling good about doing business with MS, well, OK... Best regards, Dave David J Boyd Senior Test Engineer Respironics 175 Chastain Meadows Court Kennesaw GA 30144-3724 (V) 770-429-2809 (F) 770-423-2300 ======================================================================== CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ---------------------- This message, together with any attachments, may be legally privileged and is confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It is exempt from disclosure under applicable law including court orders. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copy of this message, or any attachment, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender and delete this message, along with any attachments, from your computer.
