OSX vs Dell: The Rigamarole

I'm a young graphic designer, and I currently use a G4 933 with 1.25 Gigs of RAM running Panther as my workstation. All my software are Adobe CS releases. The computer has been in it's current state since 2002, before I joined the company, and is painfully slow and unstable. The company budget allows us to replace this machine with a new computer soon, and there is a debate going on as to what we should get, another Mac or a Dell.

Let me explain the situation, as it's a bit...stupid. Our IT guys here at work won't touch this Mac. They are stuck in 1990, and believe my Mac is unable to access the company network and share files like PDF's and JPG's with PC's. As such, they won't give me a user name/PW to access the company shared drives while a simple Connect to Server command is all that's needed. These guys are old school Unix lovers to, making it even more strange.

The other designers here are also stuck in 1990, and believe all files made on an XP machine are totally incompatible with OS X (including txt, pdf, eps, and so on). They also still refer to PC's as IBM's, even though their Macs PowerPC CPU's are made by IBM.

So, I'm stuck in the middle. The obvious solution seems to be to wait for the new Power Mac Pro desktops (or whatever they will be called), and use bootcamp when needed. That way, Everybody is happy. However, that would mean I'm still using OS X for work, and I'm very weary of that.

I have been using Mac since OS 8 in design school. I've used every version (up to panther) since then. I also have an iBook at home that I've used for several years. I know how to use a Mac. I'm also an advanced PC user (you have to be if you're a PC gamer). I know the ins and outs of XP.

While I prefer the interface of OS X and it's software, the performance and stability has always been severally lacking. Every Mac I have ever used has been extremely crash happy. My company has paid Compucraft (the only Mac repair shop in town) over 3K this year alone fixing various hardware and software crashes . Is the new hardware, combined with the latest versions of OS X, more stable than Panther running on my hardware? I have to re-boot this Mac three or four times a day after software stops responding, starts crashing, or what have you. Pretty much whenever I switch software, like Photoshop to InDesign.

Another issue, we would have to re-buy all the graphics software if we went with a new Dell, and that's a huge amount of money.

Any thoughts? Please, no "Macs are totally more cooler than IBM DOS PC's because they are so much more cooler!!!11" posts. I want to hear from people that move high res images all day using current hardware/software. And please be honest. I've known Mac users who are so blinded by loyalty (like my college profs) they claim their software never crashes, only unexpectedly quits from time to time, which is the same thing.

Thanks.

BTW, here is an example of an expensive of repair on this mac. This is an actual invoice from Compucraft for an actual repair.
http://www.discreaderror.net/updates/blog/02-08-06/osxsucks.jpg

upgrading your macs to tiger and a G5 or the mac pro's will drastically change your problems. I know of several businesses that use macs, my familys included (we own 3 camera/processing stores) and rutinely move large files and orders from pc to mac to pc to mac. Honestly the only troubles we have are with 3rd party peripherals (hard drives, disk drives, etc) failing. Our network connects kodak print machines to a powermac g5, to an imac g4 to the ibm that runs the kodak print software for the print machine. These computers trade files easily and we almost never have a hitch. I'm surprised to hear you consider running dell's, as I have heard they create more problems than they're worth. It sounds like you need to have a serious sitdown with your IT pros and give them a mac manual or something. You know that the computers will access the servers fine. it sounds like currently you are overstressing your computer. A faster processor, more memory and faster hard drive speed would greatly improve your producticity and work.

I forgot to mention why Dell is an option. Our IT department, in an effort to keep everything uniform and under warranty, buy everything from Dell. They don't build their own PC's like I do at home.

That fact also makes me wonder if they would install Novel and all that stuff on a Bootcamp XP install.

In any event, you're saying that, with a top of the line machine, creating a 32x24" 300 p/i EPS in Illustrator, converting it to a Tiff in Photoshop, placing it InDesign, then exporting it as a PDF wouldn't take an hour and involve at least one reboot and a couple crashes? The software I have now, all from the original CS generation, is not far removed from this Mac ideal spec wise, and the above nightmare is what I deal with on a daily basis.

This is one of those rare cases where I would advise you to go with the flow. If the idjits running your network are as ignorant as you claim getting a new Mac will only solve half your problems. Just go and get the Dell they give you and work with it. The battle you are fighting with them seems unlikely to change and their ignorance is unlikely to change either. It's not the ideal situation, but at least when the Dell craps out on you, you can blame them.

baggss said:

This is one of those rare cases where I would advise you to go with the flow. If the idjits running your network are as ignorant as you claim getting a new Mac will only solve half your problems. Just go and get the Dell they give you and work with it. The battle you are fighting with them seems unlikely to change and their ignorance is unlikely to change either. It's not the ideal situation, but at least when the Dell craps out on you, you can blame them.

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It seems like I might just have to do that. I hope they let me install Windowblinds, object dock, and Entbloess so that it will interact more like OS X.

just make sure its really, really, expensive

Oh, you bet your animated avitar it will be.

baggss said:

This is one of those rare cases where I would advise you to go with the flow. If the idjits running your network are as ignorant as you claim getting a new Mac will only solve half your problems. Just go and get the Dell they give you and work with it. The battle you are fighting with them seems unlikely to change and their ignorance is unlikely to change either. It's not the ideal situation, but at least when the Dell craps out on you, you can blame them.

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I agree, it is sad some people will remain so ignorant and not bother to learn, i know for myself, i used to be the same way, but i took the proper road and decided to learn about what i didnt know, instead of like many, who just chose to be affraid of it and stay uneducated.

Do you know the boss? perhaps inform the boss you are comfortable with your MAC system and inform him that you would like to show a demo of how well your system will integrate with the current network and that all you need is the co-operaiton of the others.

This could however results in others not liking your very much, for me i would not care, as it is them that are being immature about the situation.

I think get them to pay for the quad, it is a company and they are going to want you to be the most productive you can be, and that means speed, and a mac. I will work (in fact do work) with windows for things like legal documents, excel, tracking money etc. but I do however only will use a mac for my graphics and video work, I think you should sit your it guy down and talk to him about how osx is unix and that you will have no problems connecting to the network.. also show him a disc coming out of your mac, put it in a windows computer and bring the images up.. all will be good. .. the constant crashing of your mac is just stress, a new faster mac will solve those problems. have been rendering an graphic (3d animation) for the past 4 days and have even had power failure and I am still going with out having to start over.. (so i also recommend a ups while i am at recommending computers)

the IT department should understand a computer , is a computer and it's your choice, cause it's gonna be used under you no one else, you mac gaurenteed will crash less and be more productive and if your more comfortable with it then let them deal with it

Im wondering but is it your decision to get a mac? Or is it theres. Because if IT is not convinced a mac will work they will not let the company pay for one. So maybe you dont even have a choice.

ThaXStank said:

the IT department should understand a computer , is a computer and it's your choice, cause it's gonna be used under you no one else, you mac gaurenteed will crash less and be more productive and if your more comfortable with it then let them deal with it

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The IT department doesn't have to understand anything, they are the IT department. Most businesses like to standardize on one type, or manufacturer, of machine with a common set of software. It may suck, but that is how IT departments run things. The fact that only he would be using it doesn't matter to them at all. They don't care about productivity, they care about standardization. It may sound stupid, but it is a fact of life in most of the business world.

^^^ so very very true, as along with this is what if the comp does break down, the IT guys are going to be the ones expected to fix it, steamlining a company is efficient, and easy, ghost one system, fix them all! but it is sad that they are so closed minded about it and just not willing to learn anything new, being in IT, they should be on the cutting edge of what systems | O/S's | hardware can do and what is coming out,

i agree as well but this is creative job ovbiously so it's a little diffrent, plus he said it wasn't the company holding him but uneducated IT guys i don't know what to tell you, but spending over 3000 dollars to fix a g4 seems strange but i'm not in your position

ThaXStank said:

i agree as well but this is creative job ovbiously so it's a little diffrent, plus he said it wasn't the company holding him but uneducated IT guys i don't know what to tell you, but spending over 3000 dollars to fix a g4 seems strange but i'm not in your position

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Most IT departments drive company policy on this stuff. The big wigs PAY the IT guys to make these decisions and save the company money, although actual savings often never materializes. Ignorance on their part translates into to stupid company policy, but it's still company policy.