What's your work IT equipment like?

nutcase · 27 Jul 2017 at 19:13

I'm OK - got a reasonably new i5 with 6GB RAM and SSD. But the situation across the company is pretty poor. Been allowed to introduce a minimum spec of an i3 for new purchases, but we're still running about 50% celeron/amd poverty spec. Most have either XP or Vista COAs and probably about 30% date back to 2011 or so although everythig runs W7 apart from mine which as W10. Most have at least 2GB RAM which helped - before we upgraded that only a few had 1GB.

gobbo · 27 Jul 2017 at 19:25

"Early 2015" MacBook Pro 13", 2 x 24" ultrawide screens, iPhone SE and access to all the AWS services so I can just build what I need

Nasher · 27 Jul 2017 at 19:48

Tunney said:
I find that surprising. At every tech conference I attend, 80%+ of the audience are using MacBooks. Maybe that's a self-selecting sample group though?

Tech companies and IT guys don't spec Apple stuff. It's far too limiting and expensive. If not Windows then Linux is the second choice, mainly due to lack of Linux pros.

If you see a company using Macs, it's because the boss wanted Macs without actually understanding the technical problems of doing it. It's like being disabled in the world of IT

dowie · 27 Jul 2017 at 19:58

Nasher said:
If you see a company using Macs, it's because the boss wanted Macs without actually understanding the technical problems of doing it. It's like being disabled in the world of IT

not really, google has a pretty high standard when it comes to hiring technical people and yet their employees seem to mostly go for Macs

HoneyBadger · 27 Jul 2017 at 20:03

I'm in charge of all the IT kit where I work and we've done a refresh for everyone. Kabylake i5 for the majority with 500GB SSD and 8GB RAM.

IT have the same but i7s and 16GB RAM.

We have some power users so they have either same spec as IT or a Ryzen system for the CAD users.

HoneyBadger · 27 Jul 2017 at 20:04

dowie said:
not really, google has a pretty high standard when it comes to hiring technical people and yet their employees seem to mostly go for Macs

Best mate just started at Oracle and has been given a Mac.

We used to have them in a dept. At our place until we ultimately phased them out.

Tinders · 27 Jul 2017 at 20:24

We tend to change our machines every 2-3 years, current one is a I5 Fujitsu. We are now moving to some HP 820 G3 for most of us, and if anyone wants a bigger machine they can have the bigger HP G3, both are I5 with 256 SSD, all desks have a dock and a widescreen monitor or 2. Weve also sady been issued with Iphone SE's to replace HTC A9's (i used my own S7 Edge) and we are being given IPAD pro's aswell. Some people love them, i hate the inflexibility,why cant you plug a USB stick into an Ipad, why ffs

grudas · 27 Jul 2017 at 20:34

Nasher said:
Tech companies and IT guys don't spec Apple stuff. It's far too limiting and expensive. If not Windows then Linux is the second choice, mainly due to lack of Linux pros.

If you see a company using Macs, it's because the boss wanted Macs without actually understanding the technical problems of doing it. It's like being disabled in the world of IT

I was given a Mac book at my previous place and while the spec was good the software just wasn't there for the job and my productivity dropped so after a week I dumped Windows 7 on it and kept to my self

nice knowing IT dept well.. so they simply told me to just do what I want as I probably know more than them haha.

Caged · 27 Jul 2017 at 20:53

Nasher said:
Tech companies and IT guys don't spec Apple stuff. It's far too limiting and expensive. If not Windows then Linux is the second choice, mainly due to lack of Linux pros.

If you see a company using Macs, it's because the boss wanted Macs without actually understanding the technical problems of doing it. It's like being disabled in the world of IT

Shocking nobody, you're completely wrong.

http://www.cio.com/article/3133945/hardware/ibm-says-macs-save-up-to-543-per-user.html

Mr^B · 27 Jul 2017 at 21:06

Terrible

Tunney · 27 Jul 2017 at 22:59

Nasher said:
Tech companies and IT guys don't spec Apple stuff. It's far too limiting and expensive. If not Windows then Linux is the second choice, mainly due to lack of Linux pros.

My current company gives employees a choice between a MacBook (Pro) or a high-end Dell. Almost everyone goes for the MacBook option - techies and non-techies alike.

The company before was the same, the one before that was 100% Apple.

I guess things are different outside of London.

Nasher · 27 Jul 2017 at 23:00

Well yea, everything is different outside of London. London is a bubble and is nothing like the rest of the UK. Macs are a hipster thing and London is full of them

Kyrne · 27 Jul 2017 at 23:07

End of life Fujitsu laptop... which is odd since i work for them lol.

Caged · 27 Jul 2017 at 23:54

"Waaah, I can't make anything that isn't a domain-joined Windows PC work on my crusty old network because I gave up learning new things a decade ago. We run some ancient software that is Windows-only and changing it is literally impossible, the business will have to chug along in a cloud of mediocrity forever." - Somebody who makes blanket statements about any platform.

james.miller · 28 Jul 2017 at 00:15

I5 8gb surface pro 4
1x dock at work, 1x at home
1x LG 34um95 ultrawide and 1x BenQ gw2760s on the desk at work.

jpaul · 28 Jul 2017 at 00:16

Caged said:
Shocking nobody, you're completely wrong.
http://www.cio.com/article/3133945/hardware/ibm-says-macs-save-up-to-543-per-user.html

the article seems inconsistant

....
Every Mac IBM purchases for its workforce saves the company between $273 and $543, depending on the model, versus the total cost of ownership of comparable PCs during a four-year lifespan, according to IBM. The upfront cost per Mac is typically higher than a PC, but the residual value for Macs is higher in the long term, the company says.
...
He says the average PC user drives twice the number of support calls compared to Mac users, and 27 percent of PC-related issues require in-person assistance versus 5 percent for Macs.

so that is <£100 per year 'saving', does not seem very large saving compared to reduced number of man hours of IT support work they attribute to macs.
Since they suggest mac residuals are higher too, that would further increase mac benefit, but they are not showing that with just a net saving £100 per year.
...so article does not seem credible/well reasearched to me.
(where do they sell on thess old macs, have only ever seen Dells)

Caged · 28 Jul 2017 at 00:30

I'd assume that if IBM are pushing it internally that they have done their sums. If you're paying someone a decent wedge of cash each year, and they are more productive on a Mac, why not give them a Mac? It seems like the excuses for not doing it boil down to a lack of skill within the IT team, or laziness. Using the right tool for the job shouldn't be some sort of taboo concept when it's extended to computing devices.

The idea that "Macs aren't for technical people" has been dead for years. The same tired arguments are what led to resistance to iPads and iPhones in enterprise when they appeared on the scene as well, they're just poor excuses. Too many IT people wet their pants at the idea of something they need to manage that doesn't show up in Active Directory, fortunately they are a dying breed.

MadFruit · 28 Jul 2017 at 01:02

I've got a Surface Pro 4 with 16Gb, and a 15" Mac Book Pro with 16Gb too (I think).

Surface spends most of it's time docked into two monitors (secretly impressed it can run both of those and it's own screen) because it generally ***** itself when I undock (Skype and Slack both crash, and it invariably spends 30 seconds trying to work out the screen configs again). But it generally has no problem running a large number of programs, but does grind to a halt when I do a build.

Mac is fine, but really is a piece of **** for development, xcode invariably has some hissy fit especially when full screen. It's my meeting laptop instead of the surface because reasons above.

I'd swap the Surface for something useful if I could, even at the loss of the third screen (which I basically just have Slack on).

azibux1 · 28 Jul 2017 at 03:33

Lenovo T550 - i7, SSD, 16GB RAM and Win 10

With a docking station connected to an additional two 22" HP 1080p screens

Pretty decent and does the job

Would be lovely to have some of the arrangements being discussed here like the £1500 every 12 months to spend on your own kit or the ability to expense peripherals though

nutcase · 28 Jul 2017 at 04:20

There's less tickets for Mac users because you can't do anything with them anyway

Some managers have ipads, I still have no idea why or what they do with them except use them to remote desktop into the windows server.