> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:owner-scots-l@;argyll.wisemagic.com]On Behalf Of David Kilpatrick > Sent: 19 October 2002 13:09 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [scots-l] I've got the virus too - perhaps I can help. > > Ted Hastings wrote: > > > > And I suspect that it's the only one with which you've tried to use the > > complex mixture of applications described above. > > > Not at all, and also about the 'no-one is obliged to install... etc'. We > are. When you publish reviews of peripherals and software, you can not > turn one company down and say 'well, I reckon your stuff may cause us > problems' - even if that is your past experience. You have to give each > revision a fair trial and that usually means installing it.
I quite agree, if that's the type of business you're involved in. The point I was trying to make is that it's not really a good idea to do all this installing and uninstalling on the same machine as you're using to software the business depends on. > > What I don't understand is why all the people who raved about the Mac OS > > for years have quietly dropped it in favour of Unix, which has > > been around a lot longer than Macs. > > > Because the Mac operating system goes back to the Xerox GUI (which we > first used on Apple Lisa computers, before Macs existed, and also used > on Xerox workstations where it was even 'purer'). Unix can sit behind > almost any GUI, and Mac users never raved about the actual opsys behind > the GUI, only the way in which the GUI worked. The new operating system > is actually not much enjoyed by those who preferred the economical > simplicity of the orginal GUI, but then, Windows users don't often enjoy > the child-friendly interface of XP either. > > For my business, Windows was never even an option. All the key software > we use has now been ported to Windows, but back in the 1980s a PC was > frankly unable to drive any of the scanners, imagesetters, or even the > layout and graphics programs necessary. I don't think anyone would disagree that Apple got in early in the publishing and graphics markets, but it was only a short time before PCs caught up and even overtook them. The mjority of applicatios in these areas are now developed for PC and ported to other platforms, including the Mac, if the developers believe there will be a high enough demand. > There are payroll programs for Mac, but I don't trust them. Just the > same way I don't trust graphics programs on PC. Accounts depts use PCs, > and it follows that the most solid and reliable accounts stuff will > probably be on PC. But for sound recording, magazine production, digital > studio work, animation, etc I'll pay the extra for the similar > dedication of Macs to those fields over the years. I would have to question the superiority of the Mac applications in these areas nowadays - it thik it's more of a historical preference on the part of Mac users. > I don't criticise PC/Windows per se, just the way in which the entire > market was contrived to keep 'consultants' in business instead of > letting the user control their own machine. The vast majority of PCs are used in a business environment where the last thing management wants is to let users control their own machine. The whole point of the high-end Windows operating systems is to allow centralised control of enterprise networks. > It still happens. One client > of ours just paid several thousand for an ACCESS database when two hours > with a copy of FileMaker Pro would have done the job (on Windows OR Mac, > fully cross platform compatible). I agree. Filemaker Pro is an excellent program and I've seen countles examples of Access being used as an elephant gun for shooting a mouse. > The consultant trashes FileMaker Pro > and promotes ACCESS not because FMP is inferior, just because if the > client gets FMP, they no need the consultant's services. And this > particular aspect of the Windows/PC world is one which I deeply dislike > as I hate deception for commercial gain. In fairness, the problem here is with the consultant, not with Windows, Microsoft or Access. One point you haven't mentioned is the incredibly high of ownership of Macs. Technical information about them is difficult to obtain without sending technicians on horrendously expensive courses and replacement components, particularly for older machines (ie: the ones where components need replaced) are extremely expensive. Many of the education authorities who went down the Mac path years ago are now moaning bitterly about the cost of maintaining machines, while those who bought PCs continue to replace faulty components with cheap far-East equivalents. Regards, Ted Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
