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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=850
X.2 Server quietly makes debut
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
August 26th 2002
The war for Windoze hearts and minds is being fought and the server arena may be a
battle easier won
Two versions of Apple''s Jaguar were released last Friday -- one for the desktop,
which has received widespread attention and a second less-heralded version designed to
power the company''s server, Mac OS X.2 Server.
"With Mac OS X 10.2 Server, Apple has turned its focus on businesses in a way it
hasn''t done for years," say analysts and company executives quoted by News.com.
Apple''s quest to be taken seriously in the server space began in earnest on June 30th
with the release of Xserve, it''s first-ever rackmount solution. The company also
offers tower-style servers as well, though updated models (optical PowerMacs) won''t
ship until next month.
"We want to fit into the enterprise infrastructure," Tom Goguen, director of worldwide
server product marketing, Apple, told News.com.
Unbundling skills, mindsets
Unlike Windoze and its egregious licensing terms and fees, and Linux with its steep
learning curve and uncertain hardware requirements, Apple''s back-office solutions
come prepackaged and don''t include hidden costs. In fact, the company''s software and
hardware server offerings generally don''t require special skills to implement.
"Joe small-business owner" can set-up and maintain an Apple server product today. He
can integrate it with his existing Windoze clients today and he needn''t hire an
additional employee with advanced skills or training to access 90 percent of its
functionality.
Overall, the cost of employing trained tech workers far outweighs the cost of the
hardware and software deloyed. That Apple hardware and software doesn''t require
special skills and training is an incredibly powerful selling point for small and
medium-size business owners.
Further, like the newly revised iPod, Apple''s server solutions come unbundled from
the rest of the Mac universe -- i.e. you don''t need Mac on the desktop to fully enjoy
the chewy goodness of these products. This is an important lure for those wary of the
"reality distortion field" surrounding Apple and its products. In this case, you get
what you pay for without buying the farm.
Value, value, value
In terms of licensing, no one beats Apple and the numbers speak for themselves:
� In a time of reduced IT spending, market researcher Gartner reports that M$''
Licensing 6 program (what you''d pay to put Windoze in the back office) increases fees
from 33 to 107 percent.
� Windoze 2000 Server costs $1,600 and $3,500 for 25 and unlimited user-seat licenses,
respectively.
� A 10-user licensed copy of X.2 server comes bundled with Apple server hardware and
an unlimited user license can be purchased for $1,000.
� Apple ships its server hardware with QuickTime Broadcaster and QuickTime Streaming
Server installed. Both of these support QT6, which includes open-standard MPEG-4
support -- not just "brand X''s" closed-shop codecs.
� X.2 Server includes LDAP, Workgroup Manager, Samba and can be configured to work
with Active Directory. X.2 Server also includes Network File System which supports
Unix and Linux clients.
This last point -- broad cross-platform support -- is an important selling point --
you get all of this without additional cost and you don''t need a long-list of
specialized skills to implement these protocols.
"Companies are finding Mac OS X delivers on many of the features of Linux, such as low
cost, but with more robust features," Apple''s Goguen told News.com.
Back office sensation?
That Mac believers will purchase X.2 Server and Xserve can be taken as an article of
faith. In truth, we''ll buy just about anything (in quantity) embossed with the Apple
logo. The notable exceptions being the Cube and perhaps .Mac.
Strong anecdotal evidence exists that X is gaining traction amongst Unix and Linux
users. Slashdot and others have reported on this phenomena.
Greg Coleman, a freelance programmer in Taiwan, told IGM that his cohorts have
switched almost en masse from Linux and Windoze machines to Titanium PowerBooks.
"If you walk into a [programming] shop here," said Coleman. "You''ll see a lot of
Titaniums ... What else can do so much?"
Thus said, it is perhaps just a matter of time before Linux/Unix users begin switching
to back office iron built by Apple.
The 500lbs litmus test is acceptance of X server technologies among Windoze admins.
That these people are beleaguered and that many are seeking non-M$ alternatives is no
secret. However, the question remains as to whether they''ll embrace technology from a
company many of them are known to despise.
Do you have a X server technology success story to share?
Post your comments at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=850
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Copyright (c) 2002 Insanely Great Mac. All rights reserved. This article
may not be republished in part or whole without explicit written
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