3 ms·

Best of both worlds: standardize on issuing one system (probably Mac) that is authorized for sensitive company things like coding, email, VPN, and essentially a

Best of both worlds: standardize on issuing one system (probably Mac) that is authorized for sensitive company things like coding, email, VPN, and essentially all actions that change official state; and then also give a budget for test devices that get absolutely no more access or authorization than a device bought at any retailer for consumer use (phones, tablets, computers, VR headsets, etc.). Anyone using the latter for unauthorized purposes (more than just testing with the same methods that any user of the product could do) would be equally insubordinate as if they used their own personal funds to acquire the device, since they're equivalently unmanaged. Testing is more thorough, and endpoint management remains focused on just the one authorized system.

gspencley 3y ago
That's not the "best of both worlds." From a customer perspective, sure, you're ensuring that the product is well supported on their devices. That makes sense. But that's "the best of one world", not "both." The other half of the equation is developer experience and productivity. I'm not going to blanket bash Mac or Apple, because many people love their devices. But being someone who has used computers since the 1980s, who has vision difficulties (the fonts and inability to adjust them on MacBooks actually cause me headaches) and is extremely accustomed to a particular workflow, keyboard layout, shortcuts, the ability to customize all aspects of the desktop environment ... I find the experience of using MacOS 8 hours per day to be intolerable. To pour salt on the wound, the new habits that I started forming on the work devices began interfering with my use of personal devices (suddenly muscle memory was getting confused). And yes, it's my choice where to work. The last time I got downvoted for expressing this opinion, I said that I almost resigned due to this. Had the company not been able to accommodate me (the CEO was actually surprised to learn that IT had instituted a blanket policy and said "that's dumb, of course we will issue PCs to those who request them") then I would have eventually found work elsewhere because it was that big of a misalignment for me. And I tried to adjust for a year and a half before finding myself in the position where I was really thinking that I couldn't do it anymore. People who have grown up using Macs, or who feel comfortable using either or, cannot empathazise with this position. But after 40 years of being a programmer, having high functioning autism and thus being inflexible in routines and habits, my computer and my way of interacting with it is almost an extension of me. When you mess with that tool, my productivity and morale drops very significantly. And having spoken with others in these environments, I know that I'm not the only one. But, again, this isn't really trying to bash Mac, it's attacking a policy that ignores that software engineers are most productive on certain systems vs others and that those choices are deeply personal. Again, security is only one factor. An important one, but you can't have "best of both worlds" while ignoring one massive "world" that I was talking about.
- Vilian 3y ago
  >while ignoring one massive "world" that I was talking about. ignoring the biggest of world, mac aren't the standard, nor more widespread, and never was
- hunter2_ 3y ago
  I didn't mean to imply no other "worlds" -- sorry if I did! I was just using that "both worlds" metaphor to refer to the two particular forces I perceived to be referenced in the parent comment and the article, ostensibly at odds with each other: the benefits of having many devices with which to test the product, and the benefits (not that this produces exclusively benefits) of limiting the scope of workstation device management. In other words, I'm just suggesting a way to avoid a narrow testbed given a narrow workstation issuance policy. I happen to struggle with the trackpad on non-Mac laptops to an extreme degree, and while I don't put that in the same category as reasonable accommodations required by the ADA of course (probably just lack of practice), it does help me (along with web UI a11y training and formal job responsibility) empathize with the point you are making to some extent. Glad to hear it eventually worked out with the CEO.
- sneak 3y ago
  Perhaps the acknowledged lack of flexibility on your part should be weighed against the practical considerations and economy of standardization in a large organization. Standardizing on a small set of easily available hardware, a single popular OS, and a single set of tools across an organization can have vast benefits in direct proportion to the scale of that organization. On the other hand, you are one person who is set in their ways. In some ways, I’m a lot like you. I know the straitjacket feeling when placed into an unfamiliar or uncustomized environment. At this point, adapting to new interfaces has happened so often and so many times that I consider it a core job skill.

gspencley 3y ago

That's not the "best of both worlds." From a customer perspective, sure, you're ensuring that the product is well supported on their devices. That makes sense. But that's "the best of one world", not "both." The other half of the equation is developer experience and productivity. I'm not going to blanket bash Mac or Apple, because many people love their devices. But being someone who has used computers since the 1980s, who has vision difficulties (the fonts and inability to adjust them on MacBooks actually cause me headaches) and is extremely accustomed to a particular workflow, keyboard layout, shortcuts, the ability to customize all aspects of the desktop environment ... I find the experience of using MacOS 8 hours per day to be intolerable. To pour salt on the wound, the new habits that I started forming on the work devices began interfering with my use of personal devices (suddenly muscle memory was getting confused). And yes, it's my choice where to work. The last time I got downvoted for expressing this opinion, I said that I almost resigned due to this. Had the company not been able to accommodate me (the CEO was actually surprised to learn that IT had instituted a blanket policy and said "that's dumb, of course we will issue PCs to those who request them") then I would have eventually found work elsewhere because it was that big of a misalignment for me. And I tried to adjust for a year and a half before finding myself in the position where I was really thinking that I couldn't do it anymore. People who have grown up using Macs, or who feel comfortable using either or, cannot empathazise with this position. But after 40 years of being a programmer, having high functioning autism and thus being inflexible in routines and habits, my computer and my way of interacting with it is almost an extension of me. When you mess with that tool, my productivity and morale drops very significantly. And having spoken with others in these environments, I know that I'm not the only one. But, again, this isn't really trying to bash Mac, it's attacking a policy that ignores that software engineers are most productive on certain systems vs others and that those choices are deeply personal. Again, security is only one factor. An important one, but you can't have "best of both worlds" while ignoring one massive "world" that I was talking about.

Vilian 3y ago
>while ignoring one massive "world" that I was talking about. ignoring the biggest of world, mac aren't the standard, nor more widespread, and never was
hunter2_ 3y ago
I didn't mean to imply no other "worlds" -- sorry if I did! I was just using that "both worlds" metaphor to refer to the two particular forces I perceived to be referenced in the parent comment and the article, ostensibly at odds with each other: the benefits of having many devices with which to test the product, and the benefits (not that this produces exclusively benefits) of limiting the scope of workstation device management. In other words, I'm just suggesting a way to avoid a narrow testbed given a narrow workstation issuance policy. I happen to struggle with the trackpad on non-Mac laptops to an extreme degree, and while I don't put that in the same category as reasonable accommodations required by the ADA of course (probably just lack of practice), it does help me (along with web UI a11y training and formal job responsibility) empathize with the point you are making to some extent. Glad to hear it eventually worked out with the CEO.
sneak 3y ago
Perhaps the acknowledged lack of flexibility on your part should be weighed against the practical considerations and economy of standardization in a large organization. Standardizing on a small set of easily available hardware, a single popular OS, and a single set of tools across an organization can have vast benefits in direct proportion to the scale of that organization. On the other hand, you are one person who is set in their ways. In some ways, I’m a lot like you. I know the straitjacket feeling when placed into an unfamiliar or uncustomized environment. At this point, adapting to new interfaces has happened so often and so many times that I consider it a core job skill.