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New Apple IT Pro Section
aqsalter writes "Apple has finally created a new section for information from an IT Professionals viewpoint, with articles about all the good stuff. Previously Apple shied away from having any obvious IT focus, but it seems Apple are acknowledging their influence in the IT sphere, with two high-profile HPC clusters and enterprise class tools for managing open source technologies."
when apple released Xsan and their new Xserve.
Look, shiny iHome pictures.
Good going Apple, just branch out in as many areas as possible and make more people happy :)
This is the sig that says NI (again)
The document of most immediate interest for the armchair paranoiac - the NSA config guide for OS X - returns a broken link.
This is really long overdue. Apple has been an force for innovation in the desktop market since its inception, but they've never been taken all that seriously in the enterprise-class server market until recently. This shows that Apple really does want to be taken seriously.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
Apple's iPod advertising and marketing gurus run for cover.
Does this mark the end of Apple's poster child's popularity?
Security Guide for OS X - by the U.S. National Security Agency
Email virus protection - setup SpamAssassin, ClamAV and Amavisd-new with Postfix on OS X
Linux Magazine gives OS X five penguins
The nice thing about this site, as a developer, is that everything I was looking for regarding OS X is all here. Tools, manuals, FAQs, discussion boards, you name it, it's here.
How am I supposed to fit a pithy, relevant quote into 120 characters?
A good site for managing OS X servers that seems to be getting better all the time is http://www.afp548.com/. I'm not affiliated with them btw, but it's worth checking out if this is your business.
every problem is a nail.
Historically, Apple had its own operating system(s) developed in-house. Creating enterprise systems would have been a huge extra burden for them. Now, their os is basically _nix. Existing enterprise systems can be easily integrated with Apple's stuff.
Bottom line: Apple can more easily do this now and so they are doing it.
I'm switching to Windows !
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Anyone who challenges any monopoly is a kind of a hero in my book. Monopolised world = communism = you are owned. Competition = free market = you choose.
I always wonder why Apple seems to be so popular for HPC? I mean, Apple makes good hardware and a very nice OS an all, but each compute node is so expensive that it doesn't seem worth it. To buy an compute node with roughly the same power costs half as much if you use Xeon or Athlon processors with support contracts with a large company. I had to design several clusters with a price limit of of $120,000. We could get 45-60 Apple boxes, or 240 Intel boxes. Yes the Xeon boxes where slower, but with almost 5 times as many boxes you get 5 times the memory, 5 times the disk space per node, and such. If your program is that processor dependant (or can't scale beyond a few nodes) you can run several copies at once. The power consumption of an Apple was almost the same as an Intel last I heard and the heat produced is almost exactly the same. Granted over several dozen/hundred nodes this can be a difference but it doesn't seem like nearly enough to make it worth $2k a node.
So my question is this. What makes Apple worth the money as a compute node? (I am not asking for desktops and such, only compute nodes) Anybody out there have a chance to do the purchasing for an Apple cluster? We always come back to Intel because of the cost so it would be nice to see the other side of the coin.
iT :)
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I hope the new cluster has a display http://www.macitynet.it/english/aA20182/
Die-hard views in IT about Apple products may change, as did many ways we do things post-September 11, when (not if) a major computer security catastrophe occurs which could render many Windows operating systems inoperable. It's bound to happen--the laws of chaos and Murphy's Law dictate that something with order will be occasionally paired with disorder.
IT hasn't had that wake-up call yet. History has shown that lack of diversification leads to fatal results. Having only one way of doing things, or in this case, only one choice in handling services, causes a backlash when elements of the systems are put to test.
I've been an IT professional specializing in Apple products for over 12 years now. Despite the advances (administratively and competitively) that Apple and other companies have done in providing alternatives that work as well or better than the mainstream products, many IT pros still have NO FSCKING CLUE about the alternatives. They aren't TRAINED to think about alternatives, but only to do what they can with what they have.
They may be a time where one of the many serious vulnerabilties found in Windows is fully and dangerously exploited, leading to failures of various sorts throughout the country and the world. Data is lost. Networks paralyzed. And all through such a time, computers running operating systems that are much more resistant or immune to these issues will aid in keeping our businesses working despite ourselves and our industry's lack of vision.
It was a lack of imagination that led to the some of the world's notable disasters like the Titanic, the recent tsunamis, the Apollo 1, Shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies, the Macerena and Anna Nicole Smith. Someone in the IT world has to wake up and see that putting all the eggs in a basket may be cheaper, but that it is still one basket.
I try to educate and never preach about the use and capabilities of Apple products, and I'm sure others try with Linux and other operating systems. I hope a site like this, sanctioned by Apple itself, adds a bit more professionalism to the mix of offerings.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
still, that gives /. plenty of time to catch up
Dear Apple,
Welcome to the field of Information Technology. Heh.
This is my sig. There are thousands more, but this one is mine.
Apple had IT tracks at the last couple of WWDCs as well. Too bad that the main focus was Windows/AD compatibility and integration and not anything unique to Apple's platform.
--saint
I have supported Apple products for years and have always had problems with the quality and amount of documentation Apple creates. Just for curiosity I went to the new section http://www.apple.com/itpro/ and clicked on their featured article "Integrating MacOSX and Active Directory." This page is a sales pitch. It clearly explains that OS X is capable of authenticating to AD, but offers no advice on how to set up that authentication. Next to this sales pitch are several links to the websites of enthusiast and Apple employees who have developed documentation for Apple products and features in their personal time. I think it is shameful that Apple has to link to enthusiast sites for concise documentation of their products. Apple has never done a good job of creating useful documentation. To defend Apple, the do provide a link to their 190 page PDF detailing Open Directory and it is required reading for true professionals. But for questions regarding specific issues or general questions, it can be amazingly difficult to find the information you need. I have become accustom to searching independent Mac resources before I turn to Apple for information. Hopefully, this will change with the new IT Pro focus. Shea
Makes me wonder, does Apple use all Mac stuff themselves? WebOjects for their website? What about database, do they even have a DB product?
State-owned monopolies are part of the communist way of doing things; competing companies for dollars who break rules about monopolies can be punished by the government in a way a state monopoly can't.
May I assume you're part of the USA population who grew up in the Cold War hearing that Commies were going to destroy the precious freedoms your forefathers fought for? If so, may I ask you to lay that prejudice to rest?
What the hell you are talking about?!?
Communism has nothing to do with monopolism! You must be talking about Soviet Russia, or the old Socialist Germany... But they were Socialist, not Communist!
On a Socialist state, every production facility belongs to the governament. So, in theory, everything belongs to the people. Of course bureucracy and corruption fucked things out... but that happens on a capitalist state too.
So there is NO WAY to exist a monopoly on a socialist, or a communist, state... simply because there is no competition. The economy is plannified, they produce just what is needed... the goal is to have stability, not to make profit.
Also, communism is not a bad thing! Communism don't exclude democracy... Please, try to understand what communism and socialism realy are before making any statements about them.
(Sorry my broken english, I'm no native speaker)
WebObjects is absolutely phenomenal Java Framework. About six months ago I started a new development for a hosted web application. After reviewing our choices and budget we opted for WebObjects. Wow where we delightfully surprised. WebObjects Rocks! I cannot tell you how much better it was then other application frameworks I have worked in. Now if Apple would do some marketing there, I could maybe find more jobs using my new tool of choice. Go WebObjects.
Mind | Body | Spirit | Cash
But don't our British friends treat ALL companies and organizations (or is it organisations :-) as plural?
I've always liked that, the recognition that the organization is made of people, and might not be totally of one mind.
excluding of course Mac OS X Server?
I've been looking into setting up a Sparcstation running OpenStep 4.2 here at work as a Netinfo Server, but keep coming across reports of people not being able to connect which is a bit off-putting.
I'd be willing to use FreeBSD or Linux though if it could be set up easily (and inexpensively!) enough.
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
I totally agree with your points save number three. Apple's G4 line lasted 4 years. How long do you expect them to maintain that product line? No one seems to bemoan the loss of Pentium Pro, MMX, G3 (only 2 years).
Just food for thought. I'm not a systems analyst though, so perhaps I'm missing something.
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
I wouldn't suggest running Solaris on it, but I've got a SparcStation 5 that has run both NetBSD and Debian Linux during various times of its life. It's held up like a champ with both OSes as a simple fileserver/gateway.
I don't moderate anymore. Karma penalty for 90% fair mods? Can I mod that unfair?
With OS X Server, all you have to do is create a user account with the nice GUI that they provide and all of the setup is done behind the scenes. If you don't want the user folder in the default place, there is an easy way to change that in the GUI. I admin a Win2k Server and an XServe and I have to say, the XServe is worlds better imo. Setup is easy and fast. Changes are simple. Plus if you run into anything that you can't accomplish with the GUI, you can bring up the Terminal or ssh into it and make the changes from there. Plus, it's in a 1U case. My Win2k server is about 3/4 as powerful and it takes up 5Us.
Prospective station wagon buyer: "I know what you say is true...but...er...I don't know how to maintain a tank!"
Looks like Apple is trying to capitalize on IT departments' relative unhappiness with Windows. I actually have a Mac at home, and I think it's a great desktop machine. From an admin point of view, you can lock down anything you want, and it's stable. Of course, any advantage regarding spyware and viruses will go away once enough people start using MacOS...right now most hackers can't be bothered. One of the biggest problems we deal with is Windows patch management and virus/spyware control.
Plus, the good thing about MacOS is that the desktop/window manager is fully mature. Recent advances in the Linux kernel really help the whole plug-and-play thing, but it seems like a unified set of desktop apps or an accepted One True Window Manager is a ways off. It's going to take a Red Hat or an IBM clamping down on feature creep and version control to make that happen.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple managed to sneak a few XServes in as departmental file/print servers or other low-end tasks. MacOS is very cool under the hood as well as on the surface.
you're asserting something to be true which is far from universally accepted. folks speaking British English treat collective entities as collections of individual elements, and therefore plural. this mode of speaking is more consistent. take, for example, the hypothetical example (spoken from the point of view of a FooCo representative):
American:
FooCo is going to enter market blah. We think we can make money there.
British:
FooCo are going to enter market blah. We think we can make money there.
note that the American English version changes tense half way through, which marks a significant inconsistency. the British version has inconsistencies as well, but it's more consistent than the American version.
perhaps it's a good time to note that there are more British English speakers in the world than American English (thanks mostly to India and China). also, psychologically, i prefer the focus on the entity being a collection of individuals rather than a single entity.
i speak for myself and those who like what i say.
Sorry to post anonymously but anothy is misleading people when he says that the plural form is correct UK usage.
I'm a journalist who writes for the Guardian and The Financial Times newspapers and their style guides state unequivocally that companies are singular (as do the equivalent guides on The Times and The Telegraph). Even if the company name is an obvious plural, eg 'Saatchi & Saatchi is the UK's biggest advertising agency'.
By contrast, sports teams are referred to using the plural. So 'Manchester United are struggling to catch up with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.' But if you were referring to the company that runs the team you would use the singular form: 'Manchester United PLC's share price is holding steady at 316p'.
Here endeth the lesson in pedantry!
I thought it said New Apple IT Pron Section.
Well... back to my coffee...
FWIW...
list of subdomains http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/hosted?netname=APPLE -WWNET,17.0.0.0,17.255.255.255
example http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=customer. apple.com
It's not a mistake, it's the British way. It used to be the American way, too. Just look at some old Looney Tunes cartoons: "Warner Brothers present..."
Chill.
Is they?
Still, pretty funny: "If I only hear this on Slashdot, it must be 133t-speak."
I'm using OpenStep on the Sparcstation 'cause that was what I last installed and I'd thought it'd be easier to set up (and management shot down my idea of getting an Xserver or even a second PowerMac G5 w/ Mac OS X Server).... then I actually started looking into it and trying to get connections &c. setup, and it's just not working thus far.
Will using Linux or FreeBSD be reasonably easy to set up?
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
Heh!
Here's The Economist's style guide:
d ex .cfm?page=805687
http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/in
As the parent says, companies (and partners, countries and parties) take the singular verb, but lots of examples where British would use a plural verb and Americans wouldn't.
So, was the original poster from a country where the plural verb is used more often with collective nouns and just was not aware of the "corporations are singular" nicety, or was the responding poster right and it was an American using an affectation they picked up from listening to British sporting events?
As others have pointed out, the life cycle on the G4s was actually fairly long for a desktop processor. We have a studio full of G4s ranging all the way back to 2000; we are still actively doing real work with them in an efficient manner. The later G4s have tended to be somewhat finicky for us, but the earlier models have chugged along like tanks for years.
My journal
Are they consistent in treating countries as collective entities? (e.g. "France are taking steps to improve worker efficiency.") Not trolling, just curious.
From the west side of the pond.
note that the American English version changes tense half way through
One doesn't need a doctorate in English (though I do have one) to realize you are mistaken. The American English version, as the British English version, is in present tense start to finish. Your claim regrading consistency is incoherent.
blog
Courtesy of Thebogey:
http://www.nsa.gov/snac/downloads_macX.cfm
Direct linking doesn't work because you have to agree to an acceptable use policy before downloading the article.
I guess no one realized it, but this site has been up there for months...
Hmmm. Where is FairPlay/AAC on that list? Speaking of a free press, click here to see the latest Apple stories on Slashdot. 2 or 3 on the first page alone are about Apple censoring users and closing communications. Definitely more Kim Jong Il than Johnny Appleseed here. This just does not happen nearly as much in the OSS world.
OSS seems to have it's own brand of censorship. People who have legitimate grievances OSS usability and with how damn hard OSS is to used are attacked by the OSS community and are called whiners and their posts are often removed from forums. Reminds me sort of what Stalin did when people complained about food shortages.
Or lets talk about people who fork OSS projects because they feel the parent project wasn't paying adequate attention to usability issues. I forked KDE because they were pretty damn negligent in the user-friendliness area. I changed UI stuff and I made my damn code GPL. I try posting to Freshmeat, the central OSS announcment site. They wouldn't post the announcement for my project, because they considered changing a UI "merely a patch" and they told me to go talk to the same people (the KDE developers) who wouldn't listen or make the needed changes in the first place. Total censorship. So much for this freedom thing I keep hearing OSS people talking about.
At least in the mac community, users are free to criticize software for being hard to use. It's considered a popular past time, and the brutal and honest criticism mac developers receive makes the software constantly improve.
Usability is an essential software freedom. Freedom to criticize software is an essential software freedom. The mac community recognizes both, and the OSS community recognizes neither.
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
I think the parent post was using a literary device known as sarcasm.
But thanks for clearing things up for us.
Where else can you get a fully-redundant RAID for under $10K?
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
Whining is one thing. Filing frivolous lawsuits (as Apple has done) is another.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Actually, the correct usage should not be "We think we" but rather, "My company believes it." Anything else is conversational laziness, which happens all the time.
While you could use NI, OS X supports NIS for account information and it would be a lot simpler to set up a NIS and NFS server on the SS and use that for log on and home directories. That would have the advantage that you can also use it for other *NIX systems. You could also configure Samba to export the accounts and shares to provide a Windows single sign-on with the same system.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
I noticed that on the IT page, there is a link for (US) government employees to buy apple products for personal use at a discount. This discount includes government employees, contractors, and their families. The discounts are not as steep as the educational discounts, but it's significant. You can buy "or "sponsor" up to six system bundles each calendar year (January 1-December 31). "Sponsoring" means placing an order for a family member or friend."
Here's the link for federal employees.
and for state & local.
"Righteous speed demon and trust fund party darling of justice"
How do you people program anything when so many of you can't write properly in your first language - English.
If you misused Key Words and mispelled as many variable names as you do basic English no program you wrote would ever compile. Or perhaps are many of you merely script kiddies.
Spelling:
automaticly
definately
your rather than you're (contraction of you are)
"buy the time" - now that's pretty hopeless (by the time)
To quote you reading this and one poorly written post after the other has been a "painfull experiance" indeed and left me feeling quite "digusted".
unlike French, which has an official language institute, an arbitrary organization's style guide does not dictate "correct" English in either of its major variants (although such things are useful reference points in both). try google searches for things like "BT are" site:co.uk or "GNER are" site:co.uk for a rather lengthy list of examples from British speakers, including folks like the Manchester council leader. i can point you to a substantial collection of press releases by British companies if you like, too. this is also certainly common practice in speech in England (or at least in London, where i lived for a good while). even a search in one of your own publications for, say, "BT are" site:guardian.co.uk yields a number of relevant hits (although to your publication's credit, most - but not all - i found before i stopped skimming google's second page are quotes from other people).
i will certainly concede that this practice is not universal in British English - Vita Nuova has recently changed their web site to treat the name a singular, for example - but then, such was never my claim. i claimed that British folks speak this way. perhaps i should have explicitly included the "tend to".
i speak for myself and those who like what i say.
I want to AC this because it is a bit pedantic, but then you might not realize I replied . . . sometimes I look at questions of language and usage in the same way I do questions of coding (though I'm only a part-time PERL and HTML wannabe).
Your explanatin cleared up my confusion (though it was your mistake, initially). Even with the correction, I assumed that the speaker was not an employee of FooCo, but an investor or something, someone who was aware of FooCo and thinking to make money by investing in FooCo. In this, case there is no number disagreement: two sentences, two subjects.
Your point is an interesting one, especially becaause it points to differences in the determination of collective identity and individual identity and how both are affected by the words one chooses. On a deeper level, this kind of discrepancy points to the whole trainwreck of governments not considering individuals who work for corporations liable for the corporation's actions, etc.
but now I'm thinking that I need to get a life. Thanks for the correction.
blog
1 and 3 have been massively debunked, but I haven't seen anyone tear down #2. Apple does R&D on new products and strategies just like other tech companies, only they don't announce those products until they are in production to be ready for launch. This is so they can avoid debacles like Copeland, their planned replacement for the old Mac OS, and Osborn laptops**, in where the company announced their future product in advance, so no one bought their current laptops and they went out of business.
Apple doesn't develop stuff like the Xserve and then sit on it for no reason. They just don't announce products that aren't ready for launch. When other companies make announcements prematurely, those announcments are called vaporware, and those companies are criticized for it. Apple doesn't do vaporware, and they still get criticized.