3 posts tagged “mac”

I have subscribed to:

Electronic Gaming Monthly -- I have a mailbox subscription to this monthly Ziff Davis publication. I can confidently say EGM is the most well written, informative and entertaining magazine on the market today. EGM delivers indepth cross-platform gaming reviews, previews, and unprecedented news coverage. It also has a well done video podcast called the 1UP Show.

PC Magazine -- Ziff Davis Media. This is a monthly checkout in the library. I've been a regular reader since 2002. I'm confident PC Mag's software and hardware reviews are diverse and honest. PC Mag features a variety of well respected broadcasters, columnists, and writers such as chief editor Jim Louderback, John C. Dvorak, Patrick Norton, Robert Heron, Bill Machrone, and much more.

Nintendo Power -- Nintendo. I occasionally read this magazine. NP's format has recently been redesigned and relifted. However, most Nintendo news, previews, and reviews can be found online instantly and without Nintendo bias ;-)

MacWorld -- My subscription expired this summer. I was a new subscriber and I very much enjoyed the Mac hardware reviews and software tips. Jason Snell is the well-known chief editor.

Dr. Weissman, the network administrator said, "Reliability of the Mac is a figment of imagination." It is a melancholy object to those who use Macs and alternative browsers. Our choices are limited when it comes to web browser and computers: it's Microsoft and Internet Explorer.

"With over 600 computers, a level of consistency is necessary," Weissman said. "The team became experts at PC" because home computers majority use are PC. Weismman said that Macs don't offer a wide range of software choices. The Macintosh platform offers better software. Macintosh does Windows through Virtual PC.  

The Apple computer has a rock-solid operating system and it virtually never crashes. Whatever the gigahertz numbers say, Macintoshes are comparable in performance to Windows or Linux machines. Whatever the conventional wisdom or the Microsoft marketing message, Macs aren't dramatically more expensive to buy. Now, I think Macs threaten the livelihood of IT staffs. If you recommend purchasing a computer that requires only half the support of the machine it is replacing, aren't you putting your job in danger? Exactly. Ideally, the IT department ought to recommend the best computer for the job, but more often than not, they recommend the best computer for the IT department's job.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the Mac, Firefox and Opera users. Weissman installed Mozilla Firefox in the computer labs and found that it posed security problems with Foolproof. Foolproof Security is very easy to turn off. Foolproof is a problem within itself. "Foolproof was not controlling [Firefox] as well as we liked it." Weissman said.

The tech team tells us to restart the machines from the hanging Foolproof Security prompts prevent us from logging on. Macs don't need frequent restarts and never lock up. "We've considered Deep Freeze." Weissman said but rejected it because they had problems saving on the C: drive and deployed Deep Freeze on the laptops. But Internet Explorer offers a wide range of security exploits and problems. What about the pop-ups?

Fine, I have a modest proposal for students and staff. Find a way to get the tech team to get serious about computer open-mindedness. How about it? Macs don't offer enough software, right? Everyone uses Internet Explorer, right? Message read loud and clear: We refuse to adapt to the ever-changing pace of technology.