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Thoughts on Using Your Personal Computer At Work

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I am a software engineer, and I am tired of using PC's at work. The good news is, every technology we use at work has been released on the Mac, the most recent being Adobe Flex 2.0. The bad news is, there is no way my employer will foot the bill for me to switch to a Mac.

I have been seriously considering using my MacBook at work. Personally, I would love to use my Mac all day, every day at work. However, I am also weary about all the extra wear and tear this will cause. Is there anybody else here who uses their personal computer at work?
 
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This is not to pick on you or anyone in particular, but I am continually surprised by the postings that express concern over "wearing out" a computer-- whether it's the hinge, the hard drive, the optical drive, etc. If I was that worried over "wearing out" the computer I'd go back to paper and pencil. :)

Your computer was meant to be used. Use it. That's really all there is to it.

The only caveat I have is that most corporate IT departments do not allow personal computers to be used on the company's network. The place where I work now, in fact, has a policy where you will be formally reprimanded if you put a device on the company's network without authorization. This is to protect the network as well as the company from anything illegal that might be on your computer (e.g., if your computer has illegal material on it and the material is found on the company's network during some sort of investigation, the company is liable for that material).

I use my Macbook at the office for my personal business, but it's not on the company's network.
 
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Um, have you even bothered to ask your IT department about the policy on that?
The company I worked for had a zero tolerance on home machines on the company network...regardless of Mac or Windows. There was spam, bandwidth usage, 3rd party applications introducing unwanted elements....
If your company DOESN'T have a policy on that...well, let me at it, I want to introduce a few malware, spyware and bandwidth stealing applications and share some 4M video with everyone on the network...
(Kidding...just reflecting some of the things that have happened when we allowed home computers at work - one person shares a 4M video with a couple people...THEY send it to their friends...they send it to THEIR friends...pretty soon, the mail servers are full up with hundreds of copies of that 4M viddy)
 
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Richie_Gecko
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Um, have you even bothered to ask your IT department about the policy on that?
The company I worked for had a zero tolerance on home machines on the company network...regardless of Mac or Windows. There was spam, bandwidth usage, 3rd party applications introducing unwanted elements....
If your company DOESN'T have a policy on that...well, let me at it, I want to introduce a few malware, spyware and bandwidth stealing applications and share some 4M video with everyone on the network...
(Kidding...just reflecting some of the things that have happened when we allowed home computers at work - one person shares a 4M video with a couple people...THEY send it to their friends...they send it to THEIR friends...pretty soon, the mail servers are full up with hundreds of copies of that 4M viddy)

Um, yes, I have bothered to ask. I already use my computer at work on a limited basis. I am deciding whether to make a complete switch. Not many others have that freedom at my job, but then again, the developers at my company are also the only employees who are administrators on their work stations.
 
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Richie_Gecko
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This is not to pick on you or anyone in particular, but I am continually surprised by the postings that express concern over "wearing out" a computer-- whether it's the hinge, the hard drive, the optical drive, etc. If I was that worried over "wearing out" the computer I'd go back to paper and pencil. :)

Your computer was meant to be used. Use it. That's really all there is to it.

I know I shouldn't worry about it, but I originally bought it to work on personal projects and free-lance contracts. A move like this would equate to at least 9-10 hours more use per day. Hmm...now that I think about that though...9-10 more hours on my mac would be a good thing! :D

The only caveat I have is that most corporate IT departments do not allow personal computers to be used on the company's network. The place where I work now, in fact, has a policy where you will be formally reprimanded if you put a device on the company's network without authorization. This is to protect the network as well as the company from anything illegal that might be on your computer (e.g., if your computer has illegal material on it and the material is found on the company's network during some sort of investigation, the company is liable for that material).

I use my Macbook at the office for my personal business, but it's not on the company's network.

I also would not be on the company's network. However, I will be able to access all of our internal company servers by IP address. I have already spoken with the network admin, and he's fine with it. It doesn't really affect him as I wont be on the network.
 
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In that case, I say go for it! You certainly won't find any resistance in this crowd!

:)
 
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In this type of situation, I have always held the philosophy that work is work and play is play.
If someone has a machine for work, then it should be kept as such. Same goes for a personal machine. I like to keep the two separate.
What happens if by some stroke of luck your machine goes south while installing some new game or app for your personal use? Then there goes your work machine as well. In some cases this would leave a user with no machine for work OR play.
On the flipside, what happens if something happens whlie you are doing work and the computer tanks? No machine to play on.

Sure, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.... but you should never mix business with pleasure. :black:
 
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Richie_Gecko
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In this type of situation, I have always held the philosophy that work is work and play is play.
If someone has a machine for work, then it should be kept as such. Same goes for a personal machine. I like to keep the two separate.
What happens if by some stroke of luck your machine goes south while installing some new game or app for your personal use? Then there goes your work machine as well. In some cases this would leave a user with no machine for work OR play.
On the flipside, what happens if something happens whlie you are doing work and the computer tanks? No machine to play on.

Sure, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.... but you should never mix business with pleasure. :black:

Interesting insight. Definitely gives me more to think about.

We store all of our code in a CVS repository at work, so the chance of me losing anything is kinda low. I would still have my work PC at my desk, so I could probably switch back if I needed to, but I'm sure transitioning back would cut into my productivity. (not to mention my morale LOL!)

Hmm...I'm still not sure. Maybe I should break down and buy a decked-out Macbook Pro for the office! LOL
 
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Wow, don't use your own computer on the job. Would you use your own car for company business without being paid for it?

There are a myriad of issues you may not have considered, such as insurance, that's easier to understand if it was your car you used commercially without proper insurance. No coverage.

What if the computer's stolen? Why should you be stuck for the bill if the drive dies, or the logic board or charger fries when you're using it for business?

What if the charger started a fire?

Could you be blamed for any problem with the work, even if it wasn't your fault?

Using your own car or your own computer on your own dime is, in effect, a pay cut. If the place is so wonderful you'd do that, it would be wonderful enough to cough up a Mac. If it won't, don't.
 

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