The co-existence of Mac’s and Pc’s in any environment, including church, is inevitable. Mac’s are slowly becoming more mainstream as more and more people are using them, especially with the introduction of the Intel chip into the Mac world, which gives the ability to run a Mac OS and a Windows OS on the same machine.
This is the reason that Tony Dye participated in the Mac/PC forum last week in Birmingham, AL. Himself and 11 or 12(?) of his peers met for a focused discussion and Tony describes the point well:
The underlying fact: Macs and PCs already exist together in many churches. So, what should we as IT managers be doing about it? Is it a problem, or is it an opportunity?
Tony has 3 posts, here, here and here and the high points are as follows:
- Basic Network Services
- File and Print Services
- Application Services
- Administrative Control
- Training
In typical Tony fashion, there is a ton of valuable information here, click thru to his posts and learn. This is seriously a real issue, if none of your users are using a Mac yet, just give it time, it will happen.
I would love to have a MacBook, it would be fun to better understand what a Mac can do and it’s more practical knowing I can dual boot with Windows. I might have the opportunity to get my hands on a Mac, to try and fix it. I don’t know what’s wrong at all and the understanding will be that I’ve never gone down this road, so no guarantee on a fix, but hopefully I can start to understand.
By the way, if any of you loyal readers are struggling with what to get me for Christmas,
consider a MacBook with the Intel Duo Core processor. I would really appreciate it and
you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave me something practical, not just another fruitcake. 
I think I’d rather have the fruitcake!
Greg, OUCH!
Jim, let me know if that approach works for you. If this results in your getting a MacBook, I may have to imitate you!
You’re correct though. I would LOVE to have more technical people who are able to diagnose and fix my Mac, on those very rare occasions when I have a problem with it. Right now my Mac is being held hostage by the only Mac repair place in this area. They claim it’s because of a part on back-order, but I can’t help but take it personally. It is, after all, my Mac they are toying with!
Maybe I should add that I’m one of those strange people who likes fruitcake…at least some kinds. I make a Norwegian Julekake most years for Christmas.
Oh, I see. So, it’s more of a pro-fruitcake position, rather than an anti-Mac position.
I probably shouldn’t have dissed fruitcake, I’ve heard it can be good, especially if it’s homemade.
I’m sure the fruitcake you make, Greg is much better than anything I have tried.
Well, it’s a little from column A, and a little from column B.
You think you’re getting Christmas presents?
Thanks for helping Brian out…the steaks came out fine.