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School May Turn Down $43K In Free Macs

Posted by timothy on from the hobgoblin-of-little-minds dept.

Longfeather writes "Tukwila, Washington's cash-strapped Foster High School may have to turn down US$43,000 worth of free Macs because of a PC-only IT policy already in place. Read here(1) and here(2)." Surely some school would be willing to bend (or rethink) policy rather than turn away new computers.

2 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Another deal with the Devil goes bad by Zelet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I did a study at my university because the Science department had to eliminate a lab. We had two Windows PC labs and a Mac lab. Part of this study was to find TCO for each lab. In short we found that the Macs were significantly cheaper in the long run. This was for a couple of reasons (there were more but these were the most significant:
    1. Longer lifespan for both hardware and software for Macs
    2. Administration costs were lower (hours of tech needed for each lab
    3. Licensing was cheaper

    We found that once we purchased the Macs the actual cost to maintain the Mac lab was almost nothing. A single tech could take care of the unix servers and the mac lab while each of the other labs needed two techs a piece.

    They got rid of a PC lab.

    --
    ...And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
  2. Re:Another deal with the Devil goes bad by pi+radians · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A few years ago I was attending school to become a systems analyst. During that time we were all required to lease an IBM ThinkPad and soley use PCs throughout the time in class. We learnt how to program in VB and we were all taught the ins and outs of Office. When the opportunities for co-op came around everyone was competing against each other for jobs. Basically we all had the same skills.

    I had only one interview and it basically went like this:

    President (of the company): "Have you ever used a Mac?"
    Me: "Yes I have, for about 15 years."
    President: "Can you start on Monday?"
    Me: "Yes I can."

    Thanks to the fact that I am extremely proficient on both PCs (Windows or Linux) and Macs I got one of the best co-ops available. It is now my full time employment (I have since graduated) and I would have to be crazy to look for another job.

    Just so you know, thanks to a particular "dirty, weather beaten feather" attitude many people have today towards different computing platforms I am the only one of my peers that can travel and the drop of a hat (just got back from Alaska), afford basically anything I want and spend the majority of the time having fun at work instead of trying to sell cellphones at the local mall.

    Don't ever think that knowledge, in any respect, is a waste and never advise someone that only their skills on only the most popluar mediums will get them through life.

    Variety == Spice

    --

    sin(6cos(r)+5A)