Re: [WinMac] questions: NT vs. mac for small biz network

Michael bartosh(bartosh[at]tamu.edu)
Thu, 8 Jul 1999 18:09:42 -0500

>hello everyone...
>
>please, i'm interested in information, but i also welcome opinions as well...
>
>i work for a small company which is 60-70 mac, the rest windows...
>they want to upgrade to an ethernet LAN, and they want to ensure
>that they can maintain their mac files' *integrity* (i.e. not get
>messed up in cross-platform file problems) in terms of getting
>documents ready for a professional printer, etc.
>
>1. methinks that the type of network (NT or mac) should not affect
>this kind of thing at all, so long as tcp/ip is used in the lan over
>ethernet. am i correct???

If you are planning to use Appletalk- which is IMHO highly desirable-
NT does not do Appletalk over IP without a somewhat pricey add on.

>
>2. my boss thinks NT is very complicated; he seems to want mac OS X
>bec it's supposedly stable...my question is whether all the unix
>etc. stuff stuck into mac OS X isn't equally complicated as NT????

NT is more complicated than any unix I have ever found in that it's
quirkey. Unix problems come from lack of knowledge more than anyhting
else- NT's quirks tend to sneak up on you. I am a Mac user at heart
and always have been. I was exposed to NT about the same time I was
exposed to Unix, and I have no questions about which one has been
more contentious.

>
>3. lastly, have you found it easier to have mac clients on a NT lan
>or have you found it easier to have NT/Win 9x clients on a mac lan??

AppleShare IP's service to PC's is, without question, 10x simpler
than Services for Macintosh.

>
>i do think that for a say, 10-15 node LAN, NT might be cheaper
>overall, given apple's tendency to charge premium prices for
>everything...

Since MacOS X Server is $500 for _unlimited_ clients, I do not think
this should be a concern.

>
>thank you!!!
>
>:) tom
>tom@visualwave.com
>
>p.s. when i know more about all this stuff, hopefully i will also be
>able to offer advice, suggestions, ideas, etc. this is a good list!
>:)
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Thu Jul 08 1999 - 16:15:09 PDT