That was a mirror of conversations I had with when they received their units MONTHS ago. Maybe better to call this "Impressions" since neither seemed interested in any real review details. Form and finish are nice, but a lot of folks want to see numbers, or relatively clear comparisons of speed.
I bought my MBP 15" back in May and have been fairly well satisfied. 90% of my apps are now native mac apps ( 50% are universal ) - definitely need MORE universal apps...
And, to provide a benchmark of anything I did benchmark the MBP running XP and 3dmark05/3dmark06 if any of you all are interested. A mac bigot would yell , use mac native games.. to which my reply is... uhm, NO.
The price drop on the MacBook pro 15" makes that line even more compelling... $1999 with a reasonable gaming card installed.
The price on the macbook plan is good, recognizing the drop of the video card to a Intel GMA ( I'm good at powerpoint ! ). If the wife could be convinced to try OSX again.. I'd go with one ( yes, I have the one S.O. who switched and didnt like it... sigh )
I bought my 15" with an eye on BootCamp for Gaming ( xp hostname = wintendo ) and have been very happy.
Very Nice, either way. Good choices, but OUCH heck of a premium to get it in black.
FWIW, I did benchmark my MBP 15" ( 2.0 GHZ with 2gb RAM, 7200 rpm disk ) with 3dMark06 and 3dMark05.
Dammit. I meant so ignore most of Slashdot over Xmas - I do have family, etc. But the DUH! factor of this set me off.
Thank (fill in your favorite deity here ) that I'm out of IT. Whilst this stupidity is not limited to management, its just another reminder that due to the environment, politics, etc of (your workplace) some really stupid ( people, trends, and behaviors ) can foster.
There's no cure for this kind of shit, so I have no real soapbox. However, for those of you who can spot management bullshit like this (including the new fake moreale boosting ), dont buy into it.
Next week, some senior managers in some other aspect of a firm ( lets say.. accounting ) will ponder if the Pope is catholic.
Quote: I wonder what experiences other admins and managers have had with do-it-yourself servers in a production environment, and whether they feel that white-box servers perform as well - - and last as long - - as anything else?
99% of the time as an admin, and person-with-their-ass on the line for uptime of servers I could choose to build, I've only seen white boxes, and home growns peter out and fizzle faster than boxes built by vendors I have a service contract with.
A prior arguement someone made with me was " its the same parts ". In some cases, they are. However, local Joe's QA lab is a fold out table with static bags duct taped to it.
If it was worth my boss telling me to build it, assigning a budget and delivery date, it was worth a request for quote from server vendors.
Common question to boss: What kind of service do you want ? 2hr parts delivery, or whenever (vendor) gets around to it, or do I have to hope has what we need at 0430 when a power supply goes fizzle ?
Common answer: We use (XXXY)level of service for everything else, do the same for this one.
Whiteboxes and home-growns dont have a service organization built to keep your unit in business.
Wow. The thermostat in Hell just clicked on
on
Keeping the Lights On
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
An article, published on IBM's site, shows the value in older workers.
Mind you, of course, this is a non-IBMer writing the article, quoting ANOTHER work that states the opinion.
However.
IBM, which has been sued not once, but MULTIPLE times for age discrimination. A quick google will net you lots of links...
After having seen what IBM and other firms have done to older workers, and young ones just to keep the "deadpool" on paper appear balanced, I scoff.
The only good discussion with an IBM manager starts with their head under my boot and a sawed off shotgun causing them to gag.
A bit harsh ? Yes, probably.
But given the people I've seen burn their savings, retirement, etc keeping the kids fed, cars paid, etc and compare their "relative value" to some fucking middle management hosebag...
>> How do you handle these 3rd-party security people who make mountains out of every molehill?
Err, you dont. They are commissioned to do thier job. Since they were hired, did work, that you had to react to ( called on the carpet ) that means you are out of the loop in regards to mangement & how they perceive security.
The beauty of 3rd party consultants ( security or otherwise ) is management gains external veri- or villi- fication of whatever thier agenda is.
In short, you have to handle management ( ie: the people who brought in the 3rd party peeps ). Your description of the situation doesnt disclose your role in detail, so i will assume away a troll.
>>I told our risk management VP that to fix every item cited - - many of which were false positives or completely out of context - - would be next to impossible for our small IT staff, and that some of the fixes, if implemented, might have deleterious effects on an otherwise smoothly running operation.
Nope. Let me verbally slap you for this one. Not for effort, I get that. It is impractical to fix "everything". However, being reactionary to a report changes the discussion from " what are we doing to help the business " ( VPs love this shit ) to "why didnt you do you job" ( which at best means a verbal remand, or at worst is used as justification to fire your ass ).
Your approach to the vp of "whateverthehell" should be more of a "ok, bossman/bitch" here's the recommendations of the people someone ( or YOU ) hired, since you clearly dont trust me ( dont say this part out loud ) and here is my estimate of what it would take to fix each and every bullet point. Further, toss in a risk assessment, that covers... what is the downside of NOT fixing this. Take your time, make a nicely formatted report. Dont exaggerate, and do NOT let an item go by without pointing out the pros/cons of closing each "hole".
The downside of this is it is work. The upshot is you've handed the VP a check list. The VP can then make decisions ( y/n/dodge ) about what they fix and dont.
Most importantly, you at least look like someone who is trying to help, rather than a defensive employee trying to ( at worst ) cover up incompetence, or (at best) doesnt know any better ( incompetence variation ).
VP is watching behavior, since typically they dont know tech. What does your behavior tell them ?
"...various servers and external storage enclosures are needed on the cheap that will be pushed to their limits."
You are about to discover why server vendors are still in business, even though commodity parts just reach new lows in pricing.
I wont bust your balls, or tits(?) over trying to do IT on the cheap.
However, you will need to make some choices.
Cheaper hardware will only buy you hardware designed for consumers ( do you recall the IBM Deskstar models that had a monthly hour limit of usage ? ).
If you need to buy hardware that wont blow up under load, and you can get replacement parts for ( especially outside of business hours ) you should stop and go back and review products from IBM, Dell, and Compaq.
Recognize these vendors call it a server since they do test these things under load, test compatibility under cirumstances that your describing, and provide service so that your consulting shop wont be twiddling their thumbs waiting for you to run down to the local swap shop to get a new motherboard.
Those of us responsible for maintaining services ( DB, Email, etc ) dont build servers unless our backs are against the wall. Even then, we buy HW from the same vendors who make the servers.
Why ? Our job isnt to build hardware. Its to make email flow reliably, keep end users data available whenever management is willing to pay for it, hopefully you get the drift.
Since your in a small consulting shop, the big goals for the shop is growing clientele. They money will be well spent, when you and whomever else is responsible for the backoffice equipment ( in a small group everyone wears lots of hats ) spends your time building the customer base.
There will be lots of folks here who will say, sure go do this, this and this.
Hopefuly, a few will try to influence you as I have, and suggest you use a Cisco grade product, versus Linksys.
Retiring the "traditional" route ? Uhm, I'll pass
on
Lifetime Careers in IT?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
This is becoming borderline troll material.
Why do I actively pass on the traditional route ?
Well, it's constantly under assault. First from employers who want/need to keep labor/benefits costs down. They're trying to get the best bang from thier buck. Whats funny is I've met so very few people who turn this back around on the firm.
Second from global competition (rightfully, IMHO) that are looking to win business and a better standard of living for themselves, putting downward pressure on wages. As other countries gain IT or some other hot commodity, they will put pressure on firms that have been mainstays. This means keep an eye on China & India. It also means firms like HP, IBM, etc are doomed to marginalization in so many ways.
Third, the churn of technology doesn't really leave much room for "lifers". Put another way, certain skillsets that command above average wages tend downward over time due to new entrants, obsolesence etc (example: vendor specific certifications become worthless quickly without increasing relevant experience too, think Novell, OS/2, DECNET)
Finally, and more importantly to me, independence from someone else's teat (be that government, corporations, or unions). Forget blatant examples like Enron. Think more frequent examples like IBM, the US Army, the Postal Service, or {name your favorite entity that has cut back on retiree benefits in some way over time, see google}. Anybody, currently under 40 who thinks they will retire the old fashioned way is following a dangerous fairy tale.
I think a lifelong career is possible. However, trusting that {your favorite entity} will take care of you in the golden years is a sure path to failure. Multiple jobs, both independent, and as staff will happen. Everytime I will actively manage, and manipulate the situation to maximize my benefit according to my plan.
Slashdot Mirror
I bought my MBP 15" back in May and have been fairly well satisfied. 90% of my apps are now native mac apps ( 50% are universal ) - definitely need MORE universal apps...
And, to provide a benchmark of anything I did benchmark the MBP running XP and 3dmark05/3dmark06 if any of you all are interested. A mac bigot would yell , use mac native games.. to which my reply is ... uhm, NO.
http://rfoundry.com/mbpbenchmark/Site/index.html
The price on the macbook plan is good, recognizing the drop of the video card to a Intel GMA ( I'm good at powerpoint ! ). If the wife could be convinced to try OSX again .. I'd go with one ( yes, I have the one S.O. who switched and didnt like it ... sigh )
I bought my 15" with an eye on BootCamp for Gaming ( xp hostname = wintendo ) and have been very happy.
Very Nice, either way. Good choices, but OUCH heck of a premium to get it in black.
FWIW, I did benchmark my MBP 15" ( 2.0 GHZ with 2gb RAM, 7200 rpm disk ) with 3dMark06 and 3dMark05.
Results below for those interested
http://rfoundry.com/
Fortune, and some other magazines is just an equivalent to the Playboy centerfold for CxO's etc .... this a fluff piece.
...
.. so what.
.. if MS's offerings were good enough .. would this step be needed ?
It may as well read
I prefer throwing charis
I like dancing like a monkey
I make my children do things that look good in print.
Reality is
Another karmic positive way of looking at it is :
Assuming away the bluster
Feh. Why dont they run the toilet paper Ballmer prefers... it might generate better discussion
Dammit. I meant so ignore most of Slashdot over Xmas - I do have family, etc.
.. accounting ) will ponder if the Pope is catholic.
But the DUH! factor of this set me off.
Thank (fill in your favorite deity here ) that I'm out of IT. Whilst this stupidity is not limited to management, its just another reminder that due to the environment, politics, etc of (your workplace) some really stupid ( people, trends, and behaviors ) can foster.
There's no cure for this kind of shit, so I have no real soapbox. However, for those of you who can spot management bullshit like this (including the new fake moreale boosting ), dont buy into it.
Next week, some senior managers in some other aspect of a firm ( lets say
This has been beat to death before. I could recall this one, can probably find you even more hits.
1 45234&tid=98
d =11301686
The thread:
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/09/0
My take:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=135424&ci
Quote:
I wonder what experiences other admins and managers have had with do-it-yourself servers in a production environment, and whether they feel that white-box servers perform as well - - and last as long - - as anything else?
99% of the time as an admin, and person-with-their-ass on the line for uptime of servers I could choose to build, I've only seen white boxes, and home growns peter out and fizzle faster than boxes built by vendors I have a service contract with.
A prior arguement someone made with me was " its the same parts ". In some cases, they are. However, local Joe's QA lab is a fold out table with static bags duct taped to it.
If it was worth my boss telling me to build it, assigning a budget and delivery date, it was worth a request for quote from server vendors.
Common question to boss: What kind of service do you want ? 2hr parts delivery, or whenever (vendor) gets around to it, or do I have to hope has what we need at 0430 when a power supply goes fizzle ?
Common answer: We use (XXXY)level of service for everything else, do the same for this one.
Whiteboxes and home-growns dont have a service organization built to keep your unit in business.
An article, published on IBM's site, shows the value in older workers.
...
...
Mind you, of course, this is a non-IBMer writing the article, quoting ANOTHER work that states the opinion.
However.
IBM, which has been sued not once, but MULTIPLE times for age discrimination. A quick google will net you lots of links
After having seen what IBM and other firms have done to older workers, and young ones just to keep the "deadpool" on paper appear balanced, I scoff.
The only good discussion with an IBM manager starts with their head under my boot and a sawed off shotgun causing them to gag.
A bit harsh ? Yes, probably.
But given the people I've seen burn their savings, retirement, etc keeping the kids fed, cars paid, etc and compare their "relative value" to some fucking middle management hosebag
Yeah. A touch grumpy.
>> How do you handle these 3rd-party security people who make mountains out of every molehill?
Err, you dont. They are commissioned to do thier job. Since they were hired, did work, that you had to react to ( called on the carpet ) that means you are out of the loop in regards to mangement & how they perceive security.
The beauty of 3rd party consultants ( security or otherwise ) is management gains external veri- or villi- fication of whatever thier agenda is.
In short, you have to handle management ( ie: the people who brought in the 3rd party peeps ). Your description of the situation doesnt disclose your role in detail, so i will assume away a troll.
>>I told our risk management VP that to fix every item cited - - many of which were false positives or completely out of context - - would be next to impossible for our small IT staff, and that some of the fixes, if implemented, might have deleterious effects on an otherwise smoothly running operation.
Nope. Let me verbally slap you for this one. Not for effort, I get that. It is impractical to fix "everything". However, being reactionary to a report changes the discussion from " what are we doing to help the business " ( VPs love this shit ) to "why didnt you do you job" ( which at best means a verbal remand, or at worst is used as justification to fire your ass ).
Your approach to the vp of "whateverthehell" should be more of a "ok, bossman/bitch" here's the recommendations of the people someone ( or YOU ) hired, since you clearly dont trust me ( dont say this part out loud ) and here is my estimate of what it would take to fix each and every bullet point. Further, toss in a risk assessment, that covers... what is the downside of NOT fixing this. Take your time, make a nicely formatted report. Dont exaggerate, and do NOT let an item go by without pointing out the pros/cons of closing each "hole".
The downside of this is it is work. The upshot is you've handed the VP a check list. The VP can then make decisions ( y/n/dodge ) about what they fix and dont.
Most importantly, you at least look like someone who is trying to help, rather than a defensive employee trying to ( at worst ) cover up incompetence, or (at best) doesnt know any better ( incompetence variation ).
VP is watching behavior, since typically they dont know tech. What does your behavior tell them ?
Since you had to ask slashdot, there ya go.
Quote:
"...various servers and external storage enclosures are needed on the cheap that will be pushed to their limits."
You are about to discover why server vendors are still in business, even though commodity parts just reach new lows in pricing.
I wont bust your balls, or tits(?) over trying to do IT on the cheap.
However, you will need to make some choices.
Cheaper hardware will only buy you hardware designed for consumers ( do you recall the IBM Deskstar models that had a monthly hour limit of usage ? ).
If you need to buy hardware that wont blow up under load, and you can get replacement parts for ( especially outside of business hours ) you should stop and go back and review products from IBM, Dell, and Compaq.
Recognize these vendors call it a server since they do test these things under load, test compatibility under cirumstances that your describing, and provide service so that your consulting shop wont be twiddling their thumbs waiting for you to run down to the local swap shop to get a new motherboard.
Those of us responsible for maintaining services ( DB, Email, etc ) dont build servers unless our backs are against the wall. Even then, we buy HW from the same vendors who make the servers.
Why ? Our job isnt to build hardware. Its to make email flow reliably, keep end users data available whenever management is willing to pay for it, hopefully you get the drift.
Since your in a small consulting shop, the big goals for the shop is growing clientele. They money will be well spent, when you and whomever else is responsible for the backoffice equipment ( in a small group everyone wears lots of hats ) spends your time building the customer base.
There will be lots of folks here who will say, sure go do this, this and this.
Hopefuly, a few will try to influence you as I have, and suggest you use a Cisco grade product, versus Linksys.
This is becoming borderline troll material. Why do I actively pass on the traditional route ? Well, it's constantly under assault. First from employers who want/need to keep labor/benefits costs down. They're trying to get the best bang from thier buck. Whats funny is I've met so very few people who turn this back around on the firm. Second from global competition (rightfully, IMHO) that are looking to win business and a better standard of living for themselves, putting downward pressure on wages. As other countries gain IT or some other hot commodity, they will put pressure on firms that have been mainstays. This means keep an eye on China & India. It also means firms like HP, IBM, etc are doomed to marginalization in so many ways. Third, the churn of technology doesn't really leave much room for "lifers". Put another way, certain skillsets that command above average wages tend downward over time due to new entrants, obsolesence etc (example: vendor specific certifications become worthless quickly without increasing relevant experience too, think Novell, OS/2, DECNET) Finally, and more importantly to me, independence from someone else's teat (be that government, corporations, or unions). Forget blatant examples like Enron. Think more frequent examples like IBM, the US Army, the Postal Service, or {name your favorite entity that has cut back on retiree benefits in some way over time, see google}. Anybody, currently under 40 who thinks they will retire the old fashioned way is following a dangerous fairy tale. I think a lifelong career is possible. However, trusting that {your favorite entity} will take care of you in the golden years is a sure path to failure. Multiple jobs, both independent, and as staff will happen. Everytime I will actively manage, and manipulate the situation to maximize my benefit according to my plan.