InformationWeek

August 17, 1998

Secret CIO:
Mac Lives-Everywhere!

The piano man sang us a song; then he politely explained how IT workers have kept the Mac from its rightful glory

By Herbert W. Lovelace

indy said it was time for a few days off. I asserted that I had too much to do at work to even consider it. She remarked it was for exactly that reason we needed the time to vegetate. I disagreed. She countered by explaining that people are in dire need of relaxation when they believe they cannot spare a single minute; therefore, if I did not need the respite, I would not be arguing with her. Not being able to think of what to say, I just shrugged my shoulders.

We decided on an extra-long weekend at a favorite resort a few hours' driving time from us. So on Thursday we packed the car, picked the right compact discs to listen to on the ride, and got under way.

I did check my voice mail from the car-phone, but the farther I got from home, the less important the various crises du jour at the office seemed.

By the time we pulled into the long driveway leading to the main building, I was actually looking forward to the time away from the job. I had brought my briefcase, but I began to think that I just might ignore it.

After checking in, we dropped our bags in the room and decided to go for a long walk around the grounds. I wanted to be back by 4 p.m., because this particular hotel serves tea accompanied by music in a wing off the lobby. We rather liked this ritual from our past visits, and looked forward to it again. Back from our walk, we each grabbed a magazine in case we wanted to read outside after tea.

With our refreshments in front of us, sitting on a little sofa as the music played, we talked about what a great idea it was to get away. I explained to Cindy that I had decided to take partial credit for the concept because, after all, I did not kick and scream in refusal. Later, as the tea was cleared, I said I hoped she wouldn't mind if I started reading a little early and picked up my InformationWeek. She sighed, and started in on a copy of Smithsonian she had brought along in case just this scenario developed.

All too soon, the tea hour was over and the piano player started to leave as everyone politely clapped. As we stood to leave, he walked by us and I thanked him for providing such enjoyable music. He smiled at us, accepted my good wishes, and looked at what I was reading.

Suddenly, I had his full attention.

I couldn't figure out what was happening, and then he asked the big question: "Does that magazine have anything about the new Macs in it?"

Taken aback, I said that it's more of a publication for IT professionals than a personal computing magazine. This was the wrong answer. Politely, but firmly, he explained that it's the IT professionals who have kept the Mac from the glory that it rightly deserves.

Going Nowhere Fast
Recognizing this conversation was not going to get better, I said that the new G3 is a wonderful machine. He brightened and said it will whip the butt off any Intel machine. I hurriedly agreed as I started to walk away, with Cindy in my wake. He followed, asking me if I was familiar with the new emulator software that allows the Mac to run all the Wintel programs anyway, so there was no reason not to convert my company to the superior system. By this point, we had reached the elevator, and I told him he had made some excellent points. He thanked me; I thanked him. He said I should try the new Mac. I said I really should. He said he hoped we enjoyed our stay. We shook hands. He left.

Cindy smirked and calmly said that bringing anything related to my job on our trip was not a good idea. I decided I have no problem with her criticizing me; it's her being right that I find objectionable.

Herbert W. Lovelace is the CIO at a multibillion-dollar international company. Herb practices his day job under an alias and has changed the names of colleagues to protect the guilty. Send him E-mail at lovelace@home.com. He'll provide real answers--and whimsical comments--to your questions on InformationWeek Online at www.InformationWeek.com.