Ima Barquer, and I'm a PC - Update Numero Dos

So petGRO is changing all its machines to either Mac or PC, and the decision they make is supposed to be what’s best for the company. For personal use, I’d recommend PCs and go home; you can get more variety, they’re cheaper, and there’s no clunky incompatible software. But this is business, and more importantly for marks, so I guess I have to do a proper analysis.

One of the first factors to be considered is price. On this end, PCs are an obvious win; you can get PCs as cheap as $300 each, whereas Macs can run closer to $600 or when $1000. When redoing an entire company, that’s a huge price difference. Now, this isn’t such a big deal for a very large company, where this can easily be afforded; but for a mid-range company, it’s a larger investment to make. Software equivalents can be found for both systems, but Apple software tends to work exclusively with Apple products. In addition, PCs tend to have more data-oriented software, with Macs being more artistic and creative in nature; given the company’s switch to E-Commerce, this is an important distinction. This is especially infuriating because the software itself is also very expensive compared to the PC variety; by the time both sets of costs are taken into account, the PCs are a clear winner.

It's also important to know that both old and new petGRO IS landscapes include Microsoft Office (which works best with Windows) and internet browsers with Flash (something Apple does not support). It makes very little sense to switch to Macs in that case, as several pieces of software would have to be replaced at unnecessary cost. To further hamper conditions, the office encouragement of workers bringing their own machines is best aided by the use of PC, to prevent Mac-centric software not being workable on employee machines. This is compounded for telecommuters, who may not own Macs and therefore would need to access extra tech. On the reverse side, Skype chat on a Mac can be done with other Apple devices, which is a connectivity bonus.

The main advantages offered by Macs are aesthetics. If petGRO is interested in having a flashy, artistic machine set for its business, they’d be perfect for it. This is unlikely to be important for the company, however, or at least not as high up as functionality. On a more meaningful level, customer service is consistently high with Apple (as opposed to depending on a provider), good if the company ever encounters issues in need of IT support. This is a big point in Mac’s favour; but it’s worth remembering that the company has an IT branch of its own who would be well-versed in these issues; external support is more important for home buyers.

Based on price, software, support and worksharing, I have to give the edge to PCs on this one. petGRO’s own IS landscape, coupled with these factors, leave little room for interpretation.

Brandon, John. Inc.com. "Is Your Business a Mac or a PC?" Last modified 2011. Accessed October 24, 2012. http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/pc-vs-mac-debate-small-business.html.  
McLaughlin, Jessica. Sprout Insights, "Mac vs. PC: Which Is Best for Your Business?." Last modified 2011. Accessed October 24, 2012. http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2011/11/mac-vs-pc-business/.  
Craik, Kristen. north america business review, "Mac vs. PC in Business." Last modified 2011. Accessed October 24, 2012. http://www.businessreviewcanada.ca/technology/software/mac-vs-pc-in-business.  

Fighting diseases with databases - Article Presentation 02

Remember the SARS outbreak in 2003? The one that killed 800 people? Imagine if that were to come back. Or worse yt, imagine something just as bad coming here for the first time. Now imagine the spread and symptoms of this disease could me extrapolated and the disease itself stopped by a database. You may say I'm a dreamer, but clearly I'm not the only one.

Back in June, a 60-year-old man died in his hospital bed in Saudi Arabia a mere 11 days after being admitted. He began with a bizarre case thought to be pneumonia, until his kidneys failed. An analysis of some of his sputum produced evidence of a novel coronavirus, a dangerous pathogen linked to the SARS outbreak. The researcher who discovered this, Dr. Ali Mohamed Zaki, decided to post his findings on a website called ProMed, raising awareness and actually finding another victim in another country. No further cases have been confirmed and the second patient is still alive, but a test has been synthesized and doctors across the globe remain vigilant.

This article shows how information systems can be used to better human lives (in stark contrast to last week's topic). Detection of the virus was one thing, but the ability to post it on the web and inform others led to the second diagnosis and thus a test for the virus. Information sharing is vital for the day-to-day operation of pretty much any organization; and given what the WHO does, we can be thankful for that.

Article found here

"Binders full of women" - Article Presentation 01

Idiotic comments that make waves on the interet seem to be the norm in politics these days. Ask Mitt Romney.

""I had the chance to pull together a Cabinet, and all the applicants seemed to be men," he said. "I went to a number of women's groups and said, 'Can you help us find folks?' and they brought us whole binders full of women.""

You heard that right.

"Binders full of women" not only spawned an Internet meme, but at least 2 Twitter accounts (@RomneysBinders and @womaninabinder), a Tumbler feed and a Facebook page. It even has its own webpage, which actually came into being 90 seconds after Mit uttered this phrase. Yeah, no slip of the tongue (never mind a political lie and misstep, but that's another discussion entirely) goes unpunished on the 'net.

So why is this related to IS? Because it proves that no matter how stupid a comment somebody makes, it can (and often will) be shared with the entirety of the internet. The ability to communicate information without practical use outside of entertainment is practically what social media runs on anyway.

Info retrieved from here, but this story is everywhere.

In Doubt with Lights Out? Update Numero Uno

So a couple weeks ago several students had their labs cancelled due to power outages on campus for some reason. Bummer. I personally was not one of those affected, but I understand their plight.

Still, the university needs to make up for the missed sessions, and they can’t afford to spend extra money.  This creates a bit of a problem, since the tutorial required people utilise website-writer program NVU, and most people simply don’t have that. However, as far as I’m aware the school does have the ability to make its software (or a trail of it anyway) available for student use, though they can’t offer technical support. Thus, there is in fact a simple solution.

While everybody who missed their lab date heads home to use their own machines, the TAs for the lab sections can send emails to the students they normally have. In these emails would be a list of instructions and a download url for the NVU installer. Once the student opens their email, they can download and install the program, allowing them to follow the instructions as laid out in the emails. Given the directions were already in PowerPoint form for the tutorials that occurred, making them available to students is very easy, and doable by either attaching the PowerPoint as well or simply copying it out into the email body. While immediate response to concerns isn’t really possible in this medium, the instructions are relatively simple and shouldn’t cause too much concern. In the event of truly crippling problems, however, the student can send a reply email for assistance with their specific plight.

There are a few reasons this is acceptable as a substitute for a missed class. For one, the EWS assignment (the topic of the missed tutorials) was due one way or another; depriving the students of the ability to work on it is unfair if it’s due one way or another. Whether they work on the assignment in their own homes or campus computers, they are held to the same standards. In fact, they’d benefit from this decision greatly, since it allows them access to the software from home as well. (This may mean you have to make the software available to everyone, in the interest of fairness, but the same applies.)

The main problem with not having the students themselves in class comes from the attendance marks, as given out by the TAs at the end of ever session. They do deserve credit for their work, but they shouldn’t be given the TA password for their tutorials to prevent abuse. Instead, simply give them a credit for that in their next tutorial (meaning they’d get 2 in one day).  Everybody makes up for what they’re out, assignments get done, and lost time is recovered. Thus everything is as it should be.

So, that’s just my two cents’ worth on this little issue.  You’ll be hearing more from me again soon (the powers that be guarantee it!), but for now… ciao.