Freedom: PC's give you the ability to control your computing environment. This effects everything from the video game software you install on your harddrive to the photo of your kids you use as a desktop. Sure I could run MS Flight Simulator over the web, but it works one heck of a lot better if it's installed on my hardrive.
Privacy: I'd rather store letters to potential employers on my PC at home rather than on my current employer's server. This is just one example of the type of file that I would prefer to have privately stored on my own PC. You can't do that with a dumb terminal.
<< remember the State Department's problems with disappearing laptops? What about the Los Alamos disappearing hard disks? >>
Your statement doesn't address privacy. This is a security issue that I agree should have been resolved by saving the data on a secure medium within the control of the State Department, etc. There are some uses for mainframes, I'll agree with that point.
Security: << With professional administration, security is less likely to be ignored. >>
I have the freedom to use whatever level of security I want. It's not up to the administrator, it's up to me. In many cases the security I choose will be much better suited to my needs if I make the choice myself. You can't make this choice yourself with a dumb terminal. My office hasn't typically done the best job of providing this service. The latest viruses seem to spread quickly at work, but at home, I have no problems.
<< Backups are also much more likely to be regularly done; raise your hand if you've ever lost a file to a PC crash. This is especially important in a business context: do your critical files go home on the bus? >>
No, my work material is typically stored on the company's server and backed up regularly. But, if my wife emails me a picture of the kids, I can save it on my PC. Or, if I want to save a list of my investments or a breakdown of my personal financial data, I can save it on my PC. You can't do that with a dumb terminal.
Flexibility: << being networked enhances the ease of collaboration >>
All of the PC's I use ARE networked.
<< once you ARE relying on networking, there's little or no benefit in putting a behemoth PC on each desk. >>
Wrong, there are many benefits. behemoth? Have you seen PCs these days? They aren't much bigger than a keyboard and a monitor. Isn't a dumb terminal simply a keyboard and a monitor?
Individualism: << PC's win here only if you define yourself through your PC. >>
I'll agree with you on this one. You can be more of an individual with a PC. Owning a PC does not otherwise dampen my ability to be an individual in other respects.
Cost: You get what you pay for. |
