|
|
Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
Hi friends,
As a veteran of Gates-style public access computing, I took for granted the desirability of Windows in Public Access Computing. My reasons for assuming this included:
1. Usability. Familiarity of patrons/staff with Windows.
2. Support. The PAC configuration tool and the ability to find SOMEBODY with windows experience.
I'm working with a non-profit and there are some Mac-evangelists in the mix. They are insistent on Macs. Are there good reasons to build a public access library lab around Macs?
Any ideas or comments?
Thanks people.
Joe
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
I used to support Macs, and though I wouldn't see a great problem with having some in a library, I personally would be reluctant to build a whole lab around them.
First, Macs are simply more expensive. They are more expensive to buy and repair. From a technician's standpoint, they are also more problematic to repair. Mac enthusiasts will tell you that they are cheaper in the long run, but I doubt the validity of that argument. Once you get past the initial hardware costs, the available software seems more expensive.
Another issue I have is consistency. The fact is that most schools at the high school level are already using at least a 50/50 mix of Mac/Wintel machines. By college, Mac's are relegated to architecture and art departments. Most people are familiar with PC's. Having a lab built around Mac's requires that they learn different ways of doing many of the same things. The market figures say it all. PC's have the vast majority of the computer market. The rest is relegated to Macintosh and Linux.
Now, is that to say that libraries should necessarily ignore the Mac? Probably not. Like I said, I would not object to having a few Mac's available for patrons, but I feel that it behooves the library to support what most people are already familiar with.
Finally, in our case, most of the patron issues we have to deal with concerning our online catalog, has traditionally been from Mac users. Though that has dropped off a bit since we moved to Horizon Information Portal, it still points to the fact that most automation vendors put the majority of their resources into supporting the Windows platform.
This is just my opinion and there are others that may well disagree. Also, my Mac experience is a few years old, so some things in the technical support realm may have changed, but I doubt it has been dramatic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
We have 2 Macs in our library, mainly because we figured the schools were using them and we wanted to give students to opportunity to work on school projects here too. But I would be thrilled if they went away tomorrow! People who use Macs are comfortable with them, but many users don't even realize there is a difference between these machines and everything else in the library, and then wonder why things don't work exactly the same. We had to buy external floppy drives because they only came with CD burners (which has also been a headache - people want to burn CDs but don't know how!). They are up in the Children's area, and we are finding online games don't work well on these either. My opinion is, in a public library, PCs are the way to go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
I agree that Macs are more expensive. However Macs are solid, well made, secure machines. I do not support having them in the public libraries ONLY because of the cost of buying them. But I have read that Macs are cheaper in the long run because they have less problems.
The lack of 3rd party software support is a direct result of the 95% Windows market share on the desktop, not the superiority of the PC.
The Macs are great machines and I would love to see libraries provide options (including Linux) to their patrons instead of supporting the monopoly because it is safe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
Maybe technology selection will become more and more like print materials selection -- a library subscribes to mainstream publications (Time, USA Today or NY Times...), but also has some small-press alternatives, too. A library has 8 PCs but 2 Macs and a Linux machine, too. The difference is, of course, that carrying a small-press title involves a lot less support than carrying an "alternative" computer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: RE: RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
DJ, I'm not doubting that the engineering and quality control on Macs are worse than PC's, and certainly, the software availability is a market issue; however, in my own experience in a school district, I have found the Mac to be more expensive overall. One year we did a comparison with two schools. One was exclusively Mac, except for the secretaries due to the accounting software. The other school was all PC's. They had comparable programs and very close to the same number of boxes. We looked at their technology budgets and stripped out expenses not directly related to the computers (satellite, audio expenses, etc). What we found over the 3 years of data that we looked at, was that the campus with only PC's spent about 20-30% less than a comparable campus using Mac's.
We also looked at trouble calls and time for resolution and found that techs that had to go work on the Mac's ended up spending more time trying to fix them. We had more unresolved software/OS issues than PC workorders too.
It got worse when the Imacs came out. One school decided they wanted to do some kind of memory upgrade on them and we brought one of the computers back to the shop to see what would be involved. At least on that model, we had to remove upwards of 15 screws before we could get to the motherboard to insert the memory. In many of the campuses, the technology teachers upgraded their own memory without even involving us. It was just open the case, pop in the chips and reboot.
I agree that having a Mac or 2 could be beneficial from a patron service standpoint, but libraries need to be prepared for some added expenses and problems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: RE: RE: RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
We have 8 public access computers: 2 Gates PCs, 4 other PCs, and 2 iMacs (which we got through a school district grant). While the iMacs are very stable (i.e. they seldom "crash") and they run well on Apple's wireless Airport, they are nearly impossible to secure. Since we are right down the street from the middle school, we are inundated after school every day with kids who want to go online. They are constantly changing the iMac desktops, icons, etc. Part of the problem is that our staff is not iMac knowledgeable. Also we cannot get these machines to print to our network printer, and they do not send email reliably (which I think is related to the wireless component - but since it's intermittant, it's become a nightmare to troubleshoot). If they did the latter, I would make them email only express stations and not even worry about sign-up. Like someone said above, if they left tomorrow, I'd be happy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: RE: RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
As for securing the Macs. Look into Foolproof by Smartstuff software. We used to use that in the school district with good success. I believe the product still exists, so you should be able to find it with a Google search.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Mac vs. Windows
3:02 PM EDT 6/20/04
as a reply to Joe Sullivan.
I think this, like all debates, goes back to your community of users and the services that you provide for them - if Macs make mroe sense for that, then use them. If not, explore the alternatives.
Here are more resources for securing Macs from an article on the America Connects web site (by wy of CompuMentor):
[url http://www.americaconnects.net/resources/securing.asp ]http://www.americaconnects.net/resources/securing.asp[/url]
FoolProof Security (http://www.smartstuff.com/fps/fpsinfo.html)
"FoolProof desktop security, the number one used security software, is currently available as a cross-platform license for Mac OS 9.2.2, Win 95,98,ME and 2000 with development currently occurring for Mac OSX and Win XP platforms. Known for ease of use, startup protection, multiple security levels and complete management of the desktop during usage, FoolProof is priced by node and by enrollment. Full 60 day evaluation copies are available at [url http://www.smartstuff.com. ]www.smartstuff.com.[/url]"
Some desirable features include the "quick keys" to turn off the security for a short time (about 1 minute) in order to get into a program or to open a CD to load a new program. Also, having two passwords to get into the program admin is useful. One password allows access to turn the program on and off, while the other is an administrator password that allows more changes in the program settings.
Overall, we recommend FoolProof because of its dual-platform capability, good security and easy to configure.
Works on Windows 95/98/2000/XP and Mac OS 6.0.5 - 9.2.2
Allows remote administration with Windows NT without additional software
Looks and feels exactly like the regular computer. If a feature is disabled, the user can still see it (the menu or control panel) but cannot make changes.
Assimilator
Assimilator is the Mac equivalent to DeepFreeze. It simply restores the computer to its initial setup condition during its initial startup each day. Similar in nature to DeepFreeze, except it gets the image from a server and not from the workstation hard drive. Thus a new item simply needs to be added to the image on the server and then next time a machine is Assimilated it will contain that image. Thus one can force a lab to be assimilated in the middle of the day if a teacher needs that software right away.
* Costs $499 for unlimited license
Macintosh Manager
"Mac Manager provides a Mac OS interface with desktop security, accountability, personal folder settings with disk quota, e-mail, network control tools, screen saver with screen lock all in one package. Users are limited to launching and using applications, documents, control panels, and Apple Menu Items made available through customized setups. Users can be restricted on Open and Save actions to a floppy disk, personal folder, drop folders, open only folders, and public folders." (Quote from [url http://www.elsinc.com/macman.html ]www.elsinc.com/macman.html[/url])
For an all-Mac lab, Macintosh Manager allows you to secure Macintoshes allowing users to run predetermined applications and other system functions in selected types of user environments. Like "At Ease" (the predecessor to Macintosh Manager) those environments include panels, restricted finder, and full finder access. It also "locks" the users out of critical system software components making it much easier to keep systems running a peak performance. Finally, it allows users to save their work at the server, so that a user can go to any workstation on the network, sign in, and get to their work. The client for Macintosh Manager is built in to OS 9, while the server is part of the AppleShare IP, which must be purchased separately. This software was previously offered for the Mac OS X Server 1.0-1.2 platform only. Apple then released version 1.3 of Mac Manager that will run on workstations with Mac OS 7.6.1 and newer. The newest client/admin version for AppleShare IP environments is 1.4.1. The current server version (1.2.2) will operate on AppleShare IP 6.x. Macintosh Management Server version 1.2 will operate on Mac OS X Server 1.2.
* Cost Mac OS X Server v10.2 (10-User Lic.) $499.00
Macintosh Manager 2.x is available now. Mac Manager 2.x supports client workstations ranging from Mac OS 8.1 through Mac OS 9.x. The server piece of Mac Manager 2.x is available only on Mac OS X Servers (v10.x). See (http://homepage.mac.com/carson/mm/default.html)
Macintosh Manager training resource
( [url http://edtech.sandi.net/presentations/macmanager/ ]http://edtech.sandi.net/presentations/macmanager/[/url])
|
|
|
|
