Does this send shivers down anyone else's spine?

[W3WN]

Funny--even to this day MS networks have a hard time dealing with Macs. Since Macs have used standard Unix/IP/TCP networking protocols for the past ten years, I can't quite figure that out. Could it be that Microsoft wants it that way?

Without a doubt.

[n6hcm]

Funny--even to this day MS networks have a hard time dealing with Macs.

not true. used to be true, but apple adapted ... they weren't the 800# gorilla in the room, so they had to. you can put a mac in an ad domain as a full member, you can share files and printers (both ways), talk tcp/ip to your heart's content, ...

plus: ms doesn't want it to be too difficult for macs to play in their world--they are in contract with apple to ensure this sort of compatability (not just with networking, but with applications as well ... ).

[KC2UGV]

not true. used to be true, but apple adapted ... they weren't the 800# gorilla in the room, so they had to. you can put a mac in an ad domain as a full member, you can share files and printers (both ways), talk tcp/ip to your heart's content, ...

plus: ms doesn't want it to be too difficult for macs to play in their world--they are in contract with apple to ensure this sort of compatability (not just with networking, but with applications as well ... ).

Uh huh... And MS is trying to place nice with Linux too

[NQ6U]

not true. used to be true, but apple adapted ... they weren't the 800# gorilla in the room, so they had to. you can put a mac in an ad domain as a full member, you can share files and printers (both ways), talk tcp/ip to your heart's content, ...

Apple managed to make it work but Mac users are still second-class citizens on a MS network. I have both Macs and Windows on my home network; I had to install Apple's Bonjour software (essentially, it's old AppleTalk protocols adapted to TCP/IP) on the Windows box out in the shack in order to get it to see my laser printer.

plus: ms doesn't want it to be too difficult for macs to play in their world--they are in contract with apple to ensure this sort of compatability (not just with networking, but with applications as well ... ).

That agreement expired in 2000.

[n6hcm]

Apple managed to make it work but Mac users are still second-class citizens on a MS network. I have both Macs and Windows on my home network; I had to install Apple's Bonjour software (essentially, it's old AppleTalk protocols adapted to TCP/IP) on the Windows box out in the shack in order to get it to see my laser printer.



That agreement expired in 2000.

my macs and pcs (windows and linux) see all my printers.

that expired agreement was replaced by another (under whcih we've gotten office 2010 and office 2008, among other things).

[ka8ncr]

Apple managed to make it work but Mac users are still second-class citizens on a MS network. I have both Macs and Windows on my home network; I had to install Apple's Bonjour software (essentially, it's old AppleTalk protocols adapted to TCP/IP) on the Windows box out in the shack in order to get it to see my laser printer.

OS X 10.6 plays really nice with Windows Active Directory. We use it at work for authentication and home directories; full roaming profiles for all the edit machines.

[n2ize]

Uh huh... And MS is trying to place nice with Linux too

And there is a certain bridge in Brooklyn New York for sale.

[W2NAP]

And there is a certain bridge in Brooklyn New York for sale.

got several in Indiana for sale to

[W3WN]

Funny--even to this day MS networks have a hard time dealing with Macs. Since Macs have used standard Unix/IP/TCP networking protocols for the past ten years, I can't quite figure that out. Could it be that Microsoft wants it that way?

not true. used to be true, but apple adapted ... they weren't the 800# gorilla in the room, so they had to. you can put a mac in an ad domain as a full member, you can share files and printers (both ways), talk tcp/ip to your heart's content, ...

plus: ms doesn't want it to be too difficult for macs to play in their world--they are in contract with apple to ensure this sort of compatability (not just with networking, but with applications as well ... ).

Things are much better than they once were, but it is still more difficult than it should be to get a Mac to talk to a Windows based network.

Microsoft doesn't exactly go out of their way to make it any easier. But again, this isn't anything new; they've always made it difficult for other OS's to talk to their OS's. Even though they effectively swiped the roots of Active Directory from NDS -- and Banyan.

All I can tell you is this: 10 years ago, even 15 years ago, all I had to do was install the appropriate client software on the Mac, OS/2, or Windows machine, and I could have it talking to my Netware server (let alone being able to load the DOS drivers from floppy!). Can you say the same thing today about a Mac, OS/2 (if you can find one), or Linux machine trying to talk to a Windows 2003 server?

[NQ6U]

10 years ago, even 15 years ago, all I had to do was install the appropriate client software on the Mac, OS/2, or Windows machine, and I could have it talking to my Netware server (let alone being able to load the DOS drivers from floppy!). Can you say the same thing today about a Mac, OS/2 (if you can find one), or Linux machine trying to talk to a Windows 2003 server?

You can turn on "Services for Macintosh" but all that does is allow the Mac to use the file server. None of the other stuff works. And a peer-to-peer network of mixed Macs and PCs? Haven't figured that one out yet, at least not without buying some third-party software.