Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 12:32:37 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Speaking of upgrades...[WSFA] Re: Odd events
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

> omni at omniphile.com 12/22/2005 12:05:11 PM >>>
>At 12/22/2005 11:21 AM, Michael Walsh wrote:
>> > omni at omniphile.com 12/22/2005 10:54:46 AM >>>
>>
>> >
>> >An "upgrade" is going from Win98 to Win2k.  I'm suggesting they go
>> >to Linux.
>>
>>Earlier this year the JHU Press upgraded the last of the Windows 95
>>machines to Windows XP.
>>
>>& no, the Press is not likely to go with Linux (there's enough
culture
>>class beween the Windows and Mac folks...).  But the new machines
did
>>come with Firefox installed.
>
>It wasn't MicroSoft that installed it though...they still ship XP with
IE only.

The Info Services folks here at the Press got tired, really tired, of
dealing with IE issues.  So I guess they installed it in self defense...

>
>Don't change too much of your hardware at once or XP will refuse to
run
>until you get a permission slip from MicroSoft (XP's hated
"anti-piracy"
>system...the reason I'll never run it on a desktop.  It's on my
laptop, but
>I won't be changing the hardware on that).

The JHUP IS folks delivered it tested and ready to run.

>
>Also, make sure you stay up to date with the service packs and
security
>patches...

That's the IS folks area of responsiblity.  I'm just a simple end
user...

>and that you have a good firewall.

Oh lordy, we have that....

> The one with the first big
>service pack for XP isn't bad from what I've seen...at least as far as

>keeping the machine fairly safe goes (it's not all that flexible if
your
>needs aren't typical).  The folks at G4 Tech-TV put that setup on the

>internet and asked their viewers (about 50 million worldwide they
claim) to
>beat on it and try to break in.  At the end of the show it was still
doing
>fine.
>
>I bet your "upgrade" cost considerably more than going to Linux.

Machines were Dell, atleast 50 or so were bought (yeah, we had that
many Win 95 machines in a Press with about 160 or so folks), so there
was probably a good deal there.

Previously a handful of machines would be bought, and like hand-me-down
clothing in a large family, machines were moved around.  The Director,
previously the CFO for the Press, decided this was Very Silly & Stupid,
and decided that the increase in productivity - it would make for a
fairly common system throughout the Press and therefore ease quite a bit
of angst in the IS dept.

>  It's
>tough to beat free... ;-)

Yuppers...... one of these days I'll have a machine at home.  More than
likely not Windows machine.   & before you geeks start saying "You gotta
have the Zirconian 3001 that runs FricFrak OS..." (Or the Banana Junior
2000... http://www-i5.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/mbp/bloom/ )  don't
bother.  Ain't in the market right now and I know enough about computers
to knoww the only constant is change.

mjw

>
>-- Mike B.
>