Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Bill Geschwind" <geschwin AT email.unc.edu>]

What kind of business are you in where Google toolbar is a
necessity??!!?? Whatever it is, that would be one line of business that
I don't think I would want to be in.

Getting serious though, using as an example one type of business in
which I worked for a number of years, namely the language translation
industry, there are some types of applications that are indispensable,
or "business critical," as the marketing people like to call it. If you
have large volumes of documentation to translate and update, a so-called
Translation Memory can save you an incredible amount of time and effort.
There are any number of Translation Memory systems out there, but in my
experience only two are worth anything (and those two work extremely
well, BTW), and those are Trados (http://www.trados.com) and DejaVu
(http://www.atril.com). If I were to run a translation business, either
as a translation agency or an in-house translation department for a
large corporation, I wouldn't dream about not using a Translation Memory
tool. These two tools, however, only work for Windows, and there are no
Mac or Linux clients available. So, to run a translation shop, you
really don't have a reasonable choice other than using Windows. 

Moving away from the translation business, now that I work for the
Student Affairs division of a university, I see the same thing again,
namely the housing department uses a client/server based University
Housing Management System, and the clients are only available for
Windows, the student health services department uses a fully integrated
healthcare management system, for which clients are only available for
Windows, the student union uses a room reservation system, for which
clients are only available for Windows, the box office uses a ticketing
system, which we are looking at replacing, and the four systems that we
looked at only support Windows clients, etc., etc., etc. So, if you run
a Student Affairs division in a University, you will currently have a
very hard time getting around Windows.

So, what does that "Switch" commercial from Apple prove? Looking at
reason #3 to switch to a Mac is "Simply the Best in Digital Music." I
don't dispute that claim, but wow, now THERE is a productivity enhancer!

So, maybe that analogy of a Mac as a Porsche is not so far fetched: If
Mac is a Porsche, then Windows is a Ford E-Series/F-Series truck. It's
not elegant, it doesn't corner or accelerate that well, but it is the
best selling line of vehicles in the world, and businesses of all types
depend on it to get the job done, whereas a Porsche is a fine piece of
engineering, costs a whole lot of money, handles and accelerates very
well, doesn't offer any particular utility to get a job done, and they
are driven mostly by a bunch of snobs who are full of themselves. Of
course it's not a perfect analogy: people doing the grunt work in the
news and publishing industry don't all drive Porsches.

- Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Tony
Spencer
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 8:23 AM
To: 'Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/'
Subject: RE: [internetworkers] Mac for dummies


The Google toolbar is a necessity for my business.  Sure wish they would
release it for Safari so I can make the switch.
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-
> bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Bill Geschwind
> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:18 AM
> To: 'Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/'
> Subject: RE: [internetworkers] Mac for dummies
> 
> Yes, and if you don't count that abomination that they call the
Porsche
> Cayenne, an Acura or Lexus still provides a lot more utility than a
> Porsche. (Ever tried sitting in the "back seat" of a Porsche or
carrying
> home a 25" TV in it's box in one, which fit just fine in the back of
my
> Acura Integra?). Out in the "Real World"TM there are still a number of
> things I just cannot do with a Mac, even if I wanted to, such as run
> that accounting system or integrated management system or other
> business-critical semi-custom application for which clients simply are
> not available for anything besides Windows.
> 
> - Bill
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of zman
> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 8:04 AM
> To: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/
> Subject: RE: [internetworkers] Mac for dummies
> 
> 
> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004, Tony Spencer wrote:
> > Heh.  I'm not going to get into this battle.  I will say that my
> > Porsche is my new Dual Zeon 2.4GHz with 2 GB of RAM running RedHat.
> 
> Sounds more like a Acura or Lexus. It's about the fit and finish and
> handling. Not just performance... Sorry try again.
> 
> --
> Scott H. Zekanis
> zman AT kungfumonkey.com
> http://www.rod-o-rama.com
> http://www.thehellbenders.com
> 1957 Buick Riviera Hardtop (2 dr., 364" Nailhead)
> 1959 GMC in Chevy Sheetmetal 1/2 Ton (235" Inline 6)
> 
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