Just to be clear, although I'm obviously picking up the topic of a previous comment I am speaking generally about similar things I've heard outside the context of this thread.
It really gets on my nerves when I hear IT play the "have to learn something new" card, especially when they cite older people as a barrier to change. I wonder in how many of these instances the older staff have actually been consulted? Or has IT just decided this for them?
For some reason IT seem to get away with this much more often than other departments. If resource management held back on replacing obsolete office phones or a fax machine because "the new ones are a bit different and the older staff don't like change" they would be laughed at (that's if management saw the funny side) and told to do their job.
It's ageist, condescending, and ridiculous. Unless you have some kind of degenerative brain disease, learning to click a few buttons in a different order is no more difficult than getting used to a new remote control or microwave. This is the functional level we're talking about. If IT are going to take that stance then they should be made accountable for it in my opinion.
Yes, I absolutely take the point that you may wish to standardize on one OS. I also accept the point that IT might be under-resourced and want to take the path of least resistance (this is arguable but at least has some logical merit). Research, plan, test and reach some sort of consensus with the stakeholders as to whether or not it's viable, of course. But enough of the feeble excuses and absurd generalizations.
