Mac Servers Driving Windows -- Really?
A
recent report from
the Yankee Group about virtualization has some reasonable findings, such as
the fact that 75 percent of companies plan to use virtual wares in their datacenters,
and that 40 percent of current virtualization customers mix and match technologies
from different vendors. That all makes perfect sense.
Here's the shocker: Some 23 percent of enterprises use Mac servers to drive
virtual Vista and XP desktops. That is so unbelievable, I actually don't believe
it!
What do you think? And do you use Mac servers? If so, how? Share the deets
by writing [email protected].
RFID Fights Kidnappers
Kidnappers in Mexico might soon find the federales breaking down their door.
It seems that more and more affluent Mexicans are taking drastic steps to be
recovered in the event of a kidnapping -- like having transmitter chips planted
in their bodies. If they go missing, a satellite can pinpoint the location.
Thank You, Redmond Report Readers
I've done this several times, but want to do it once again. Thank you to all
the Redmond Report readers who write me so often in response to my questions.
I always say the very best part of this newsletter is smack down at the bottom,
our letters section. This is where the true expertise lies -- opinions from
real IT pros. And in most cases, you guys write better and are far funnier than
I'll ever be.
Keep 'em coming to [email protected].
Mailbag: Vista Antidotes, More
Readers share their methods for dodging Vista:
As long as I was being forced to buy a new system to upgrade the OS,
I went and bought a iMac. Parallels gets me the few XP Windows apps I need
to use; for the rest I use Mac-based programs. Love the new Mac. It's a lot
easier to use and maintain than Windows. For supporting Mac users, iChat is
great and the built-in mike is live during screen-sharing sessions so we can
hang up the phone. XP is still in use in the corporate environs I haunt, no
change expected there.
-Eddie
For any of you who want to see what is involved in removing Vista, see
this
thread at CR4.
-Ari
But Jim chimes in with a defense for Vista:
I have been surprised by all the Vista bashing that has been going on.
I have been using Vista since RTM and have no issues at all. Even Mac users
did not complain this much when they had to learn a new OS. The early versions
of OS X were terribly slow and had major issues with applications and driver
support. I never heard such vocal complaints about having to buy a new machine
because it would not support the latest version of OS X. I guess it is all
love for Apple now; they can do no wrong.
Microsoft definitely needs to fix the bad publicity that surrounds Vista.
Sure, Vista is different than XP but if it wasn't the same folks would still
be complaining. Vista should not be expected to run on a five-year-old machine
just like you wouldn't expect Leopard to.
-Jim
And William weighs in on Microsoft's new ad campaign, featuring -- for starters
-- Jerry
Seinfeld:
I just went to the Reuters link in your story to read the article on
the new Microsoft ad campaign. The one thing that stuck out was that the only
names other than Gates were comedians. You know, those people that are used
to standing in front of a crowd and making a fool of themselves. Maybe that
nerdy guy in the Apple campaign will actually help Microsoft's image after
the new campaign.
-William
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.