Thus proving the theory...

The running joke among those who do not necessarily work in IT departments, but must cooperate with them to get their jobs done, goes something like this. Most decisions regarding use of one technology over another is usually related to its ability to enhance job security. This runs quite apart from the more benign inattention of corporate leadership that often choose a Microsoft solution because of a safety-in-numbers mentality.

These assumptions get put on their ear and put to the real world test by the Nicest of the Damned who actually attempt (and succeed) in running a business on OS X and Linux.

Maybe it's jumping on an increasingly crowded bandwagon to say that single-vendor (and platform) business computing solutions are dangerously irresponsible. But it bears mentioning.

In the lingua franca of business the word "stewardship" holds a special place. It graces many a mission statement and countless PowerPoint™ presentations in expressing noble aspirations. Stewardship allows us to transcend the present fiscal quarter, look into the future today and plan for the sustainability and permanence of a given corporate entity.

Too bad this high-minded talk counters much of the demonstrated nature of the humans who actually make these organizations go. And so stewardship remains an empty word on the page, glanced at and wondered about, but rarely acted upon. And so it goes with the Windows-centric office. Rational self-interest jettisoned in favor of heuristics.

The above pontification aside, the Nicest of the Damned take this philosophy to heart and actually use it to get their work done. Bless them!

Posted by hansluc at February 7, 2004 07:52 PM | TrackBack