I am in the same boat as our chair is a mac user. I also don't post much here. I'm sorry if the following is long but hope it continues a good discussion.
Timo is correct that there were meetings and lots of notice of the system requirements. Many of us saw this coming but also saw it as inevitable. What I didn't see happen was an active interest in what we really wanted in the units. Perhaps a survey of client requirements or what we wanted ( over email, this listserv etc). Mac compatibility would be one of those things. Or did I miss something?
That goes not just for this issue of OS support but for the greater issue of user interface or reporting requirements. Not one staff person I've spoken with is happy with the UI on any platform. My job now is to fiddle with the SAP web interface to help people get there work done. These are folks who took all training they could get their hands on and still could not print without my help (and I had no training, folks like us just know what to look for). We knew this was coming and it would be hard but not to the extent that it is. But no one asked our staff about their processes. Everything seems to take more clicks, more data entry, more work. The cost of the time spent just trying to get useable reports to find out if employees got paid is way more than $140, and that's the real burden on the staff I'm sure the back-end databases are awesome and will be great for reporting but that doesn't help my folks now.
I can see why supporting a java client is problematic. The way to help users then is to write web apps against the API that are tailored for the user, as Alexander Hawley suggests. To that end (and on another thread) I would like to know who is working on web apps against EBS api's for staff daily activities. I hear there is a team at AIS and they are prioritizing. What about outside of AIS? And what is the timeline? Who will be allowed to write such apps? ( any of us?) That would be a great topic for the IT conference. Perhaps this was discussed at the meetings I couldn't attend. The staff is really miserable right now.
For the near term however, and back to original question, I would be happy to help build a reference XP system for Virtual Box that has the installs needed to access SAP that we could all share. Virtual Box is not as slick as the other VM apps but works fine for occasional use. We would each be responsible for our own licensing on an honor system. If you want to change the UIDs or whatever windows wants for proper replication then go ahead. I'm finding that not much is necessary. This may be heresy in the windows world but works for me to deal with this issue for now.
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Patrick Bills
[log in to unmask]
On Jan 27, 2011, at 3:30 PM, "Vasquez, Timo" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I agree with Dennis and a few others, as to why not ask these questions about MAC compatibility over the past three years during the development. That isn't fair of me to ask because I am sure others did inquire. However was the answer shared, displayed, to those of you who have "MAC" offices? I am not sure.
>
> I do know the last year EBS(P), had clearly posted client requirements, ran trainings created an information portal, was available via email, phone directory and in person visits. We as an IT community has several IT summits, where Bruce Alexander presented the status of the "project" as we knew it back then; and all of us had opportunities to ask questions about desktop requirements.
>
> I am just miffed we are at this stage in the post go live date and have departmental setup questions as it pertains to clients.
>
> I pre apologize now if I offended any of you.
>
>
>
> Timoteo "Timo" Vasquez; MCTS, MCP
> Client Services - Network Security Team
> [log in to unmask] - 517.884-3082
> Administrative Information Services
> (where ever we hang our hat is home...)
> East Lansing, MI 48832
> "but our computer room is in your office!"
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Leikert [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 2:31 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MSUNAG] SAP GUI on Macs
>
> Hi All,
>
> Ok, normally I keep quiet about this kinda stuff. But I digress...
>
> Yes, I inquired about the SAP GUI for Java since our department has pretty much standardized on OSX, but it's not a 'feasible business approach', as referenced below. Cheap, good, fast- anyone? Interesting how they are targeting 'ongoing activities' to support running the GUI for Windows _ON_ OSX when they could just pool their resources and support the Java GUI to begin with. $140 end user Microsoft tax- *approved*.
>
> Ok, rant off. Sorry, feisty today... after spending the entire morning wrestling with this. Imagine when a non-technical staff member does
> *everything* in OSX and has to transpose little bits and pieces back and forth between their native OS and and one application running in a VM.
>
> Jim
>
> High Performance Computing Center - Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research Michigan State University
>
>
> /* begin snip - names removed to protect the innocent */
>
> While I can certainly understand your predicament with SAP access on Macs and other OS, enabling SAP GUI for Java client is not a feasible business approach, for several reasons:
>
> 1. Portal would need to be reconfigured to accept SAP GUI for Java
>
> 2. New Access/Security roles would need to be created and issued
> to those using SAP GUI for Java (or we would need to redeploy the GUI to all users [switch them from current SAP GUI for Windows])
>
> 3. EBS infrastructure would need to be verified/changed to use the
> SAP GUI for Java (changes to development, applications, etc.)
>
> 4. Changes would be required to online and hard copy user
> documentation of the system (screens look and sometimes behave differently between the SAP GUI clients)
>
> With these changes there would need to be full regression tests of the SAP links and workflow processes to make sure all functionality works under the new configuration. This change would likely require a new project be invoked (with the major cost and time implications that come with it).
>
> There are ongoing activities by the portal/infrastructure teams to continually search for patches, updates, even different browsers, that could be applied or used by Mac and Linux users under the current SAP GUI client for Windows that more fully support the current environment/configuration. I will also pass your name on to these areas if there is something that you could help beta test before it is deployed to the University as a whole.
>
> Until then, you are limited to what features/functions you can access and use, unless you are a Mac user and proceed with adding a Virtual Windows environment (which runs around $140).
>
> /* end snip */
>
>
> Michael Hoxsey wrote:
>> It won't work, the EBS Portal was built to only interface with the
>> SAPGUI for Windows, not the SAPGUI for Java.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Michael Kramizeh [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 1:01 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: [MSUNAG] SAP GUI on Macs
>>
>> Has anyone had any experience with using the SAP GUI on a mac with EBS?
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