Comments on: Building the right computer for your Internet Sales Manager http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/ Obstacles, Observations and Opinions of an Automotive Internet Sales Manager Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:21:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lindsey http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2469 Lindsey Fri, 23 May 2008 18:27:38 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2469 Great posting Alex. iPhone rocks!! It changed my life and I cannot imagine existing without it. I recommend it to all ISMs out there. Since I love the iPhone, I decided to convert to the "other side" and I just bought a Mac Book Pro laptop. My priority was to be 100% mobile. The adjustment to Mac is interesting....there's no right click!!!...but it's easy to use and lightening fast. I'm also the dealer group's I.T. manager, so I took my old PC and turned it into a server for storing website graphics, HomeNet IOL for data and inventory management, and virus protection. That frees up my laptop for everything else. For car guys and gals like me that don't have an I.T. background, Mac is really easy to use...blogging, editing videos and audio files, podcasting, etc. There's a template for everything! Just drag and drop. One negative - all of my emails from the past two years in Outlook have to be sacrificed because the Mac cannot read .pst files. Also, there are two programs that I need that require Java or IE. But I can access these with Boot Camp. A little bit of a pain, but benefits of MacBookPro far outweigh the cons. Great posting Alex.

iPhone rocks!! It changed my life and I cannot imagine existing without it. I recommend it to all ISMs out there.

Since I love the iPhone, I decided to convert to the “other side” and
I just bought a Mac Book Pro laptop. My priority was to be 100% mobile.

The adjustment to Mac is interesting….there’s no right click!!!…but it’s easy to use and lightening fast.

I’m also the dealer group’s I.T. manager, so I took my old PC and turned it into a server for storing website graphics, HomeNet IOL for data and inventory management, and virus protection. That frees up my laptop for everything else.

For car guys and gals like me that don’t have an I.T. background, Mac is really easy to use…blogging, editing videos and audio files, podcasting, etc. There’s a template for everything! Just drag and drop.

One negative – all of my emails from the past two years in Outlook have to be sacrificed because the Mac cannot read .pst files. Also, there are two programs that I need that require Java or IE. But I can access these with Boot Camp. A little bit of a pain, but benefits of MacBookPro far outweigh the cons.

]]> By: Corran http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2468 Corran Wed, 21 May 2008 01:36:11 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2468 Wow! I am surprised at the lack of MAC lovers in the comments. In my past lives, I built, re-engineered, and managed support centers focused on PC and Microsoft products because that is what Corporate America focused on. During those years, we worked with Dell, HP, Acer, Compaq and Toshiba. Dell was the best deal, but HP and Toshiba had their niche. Dell had a great business model and whenever a friend would ask, “What kind of PC should I buy?”, I would immediately say, DELL. However, times have changed. In the past year, I have come completely over to the dark side to become an Apple follower and a Steve Job's disciple. Not because I think that the PC is a piece of junk, no far from it; and not because Apple is the best either. But because I got extremely tired of the overhead with Windows and other MS products and the hoops you have to go through to get it to Really Work. In truth, Apple found a way to give me just what I wanted: to WIN at what I am doing. I define Winning as the fast and efficient path to producing the output I desire. In other words I want an efficient tool. I don’t want to have to learn the tool, but want the tool to perform for me intuitively. Another way to say it is: If my job is to win the race, I am not focused on the Craftman tools, just winning the race. Well Apple gives that to me. Alex, you mentioned you are a heavy Photoshop user, but all my friends who are professional photographers and graphic artist (and I have a few) use Macs. And you don’t have to have the big box mac to get the job done. Hey, I am not saying you cannot run Photoshop on a PC, I am just saying it was designed for the Mac and the graphics folks are all in the Mac camp. When it comes to building PCs, I have to ask the question… WHY? In the days of the 8088 (yes I was there when the first pc came out) you had to know how to fix them, build them, and to make them more robust. As the processors changed and the video changed, you best know how to upgrade or replace them. I went to the shows at the Hampton Coliseum and bought the parts to make PCs. But that is because I had fun doing it. But when it comes to my job, that is not my job, to build PCs. I would even argue that it is a waste of time, valuable time to be building these machines even for a dealership who can lease them and then refresh them on a regular basis (but that is a different discussion). So I appreciate your comments on PC building, but I wonder why a guy in the automotive business is not utilizing the tools available today to seamlessly move data and information to our finger tips (iPhone type stuff) but would prefer to discuss building PCs. Wow! I am surprised at the lack of MAC lovers in the comments. In my past lives, I built, re-engineered, and managed support centers focused on PC and Microsoft products because that is what Corporate America focused on. During those years, we worked with Dell, HP, Acer, Compaq and Toshiba. Dell was the best deal, but HP and Toshiba had their niche. Dell had a great business model and whenever a friend would ask, “What kind of PC should I buy?”, I would immediately say, DELL. However, times have changed. In the past year, I have come completely over to the dark side to become an Apple follower and a Steve Job’s disciple. Not because I think that the PC is a piece of junk, no far from it; and not because Apple is the best either. But because I got extremely tired of the overhead with Windows and other MS products and the hoops you have to go through to get it to Really Work.
In truth, Apple found a way to give me just what I wanted: to WIN at what I am doing. I define Winning as the fast and efficient path to producing the output I desire. In other words I want an efficient tool. I don’t want to have to learn the tool, but want the tool to perform for me intuitively. Another way to say it is: If my job is to win the race, I am not focused on the Craftman tools, just winning the race.
Well Apple gives that to me.
Alex, you mentioned you are a heavy Photoshop user, but all my friends who are professional photographers and graphic artist (and I have a few) use Macs. And you don’t have to have the big box mac to get the job done. Hey, I am not saying you cannot run Photoshop on a PC, I am just saying it was designed for the Mac and the graphics folks are all in the Mac camp.
When it comes to building PCs, I have to ask the question… WHY? In the days of the 8088 (yes I was there when the first pc came out) you had to know how to fix them, build them, and to make them more robust. As the processors changed and the video changed, you best know how to upgrade or replace them. I went to the shows at the Hampton Coliseum and bought the parts to make PCs. But that is because I had fun doing it.
But when it comes to my job, that is not my job, to build PCs. I would even argue that it is a waste of time, valuable time to be building these machines even for a dealership who can lease them and then refresh them on a regular basis (but that is a different discussion).
So I appreciate your comments on PC building, but I wonder why a guy in the automotive business is not utilizing the tools available today to seamlessly move data and information to our finger tips (iPhone type stuff) but would prefer to discuss building PCs.

]]> By: Amanda Marsal http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2467 Amanda Marsal Wed, 21 May 2008 00:47:19 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2467 Wow! Most of this post was completely over my head, but I do know one thing Alex.. As internet managers our computers are the life of our operation, and if they don't work neither do we. The server was down at my dealership for a few hours one day and I felt helpless.. I thought, I just call a few people, oh wait can't do that all of the leads are on a web based lead management system and I cant get to the numbers .By the way I thought I did good when they bought me an extra monitor... Wow! Most of this post was completely over my head, but I do know one thing Alex.. As internet managers our computers are the life of our operation, and if they don’t work neither do we. The server was down at my dealership for a few hours one day and I felt helpless.. I thought, I just call a few people, oh wait can’t do that all of the leads are on a web based lead management system and I cant get to the numbers .By the way I thought I did good when they bought me an extra monitor…

]]> By: Chad Polk http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2466 Chad Polk Tue, 20 May 2008 16:52:12 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2466 Building your own computer is great until something breaks and you are working a car deal(s) then have no time to fix it. I'd rather call Dell with my 4 hour hardware replacement warranty than be down for days whether on a home or work machine. Building your own computer is great until something breaks and you are working a car deal(s) then have no time to fix it. I’d rather call Dell with my 4 hour hardware replacement warranty than be down for days whether on a home or work machine.

]]> By: Brian in Etown http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2465 Brian in Etown Mon, 19 May 2008 14:44:34 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2465 CASH = FPS and bragging rights Why do we need a machine that can play Call of Duty 4 at 222 fps? Just cause! CASH = FPS and bragging rights
Why do we need a machine that can play Call of Duty 4 at 222 fps?
Just cause!

]]> By: Jake http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2464 Jake Sun, 18 May 2008 22:06:35 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2464 Looks like Chris K beat me to the punch, but my thoughts on this matter are that he's correct...the average ISM will be fine with an off-the-shelf $1000 machine. The people who KNOW they need all the bells and whistles probably need them. The people who may be reading this post, wondering what all this tech talk means, and wondering if they need a higher end machine probably don't need it, and that would be about 98% of the industry. Well, DR readers are a little different than the rest, so probably half of the DR readers. Looks like Chris K beat me to the punch, but my thoughts on this matter are that he’s correct…the average ISM will be fine with an off-the-shelf $1000 machine. The people who KNOW they need all the bells and whistles probably need them. The people who may be reading this post, wondering what all this tech talk means, and wondering if they need a higher end machine probably don’t need it, and that would be about 98% of the industry. Well, DR readers are a little different than the rest, so probably half of the DR readers.

]]> By: Umer Farooq http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2463 Umer Farooq Sun, 18 May 2008 18:55:23 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2463 Alex nice write up... On the memory... XP will use Max 3GB... and your Motherboard chipset needs to support PAE for you to go even above 2GB. For storage f you can afford it go for RAID5 and with external controller... don't be cheap and do Software RAID... 3Ware or Areca makes some nice controllers. If anyone is interested I have a nice hot swappable 12 bay external NORCO DS-1220 USB storage array for sale... NO HDs. Alex nice write up…

On the memory… XP will use Max 3GB… and your Motherboard chipset needs to support PAE for you to go even above 2GB.

For storage f you can afford it go for RAID5 and with external controller… don’t be cheap and do Software RAID… 3Ware or Areca makes some nice controllers.

If anyone is interested I have a nice hot swappable 12 bay external NORCO DS-1220 USB storage array for sale… NO HDs.

]]> By: Alex Snyder http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2462 Alex Snyder Sun, 18 May 2008 16:27:46 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2462 Lau's links didn't come over, so here they are: http://www.joomla.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ http://www.build-your-own-cheap-computer.com/computer-retailers.html http://wordpress.org/about/ Everything you see here, from the documentation to the code itself, was created by and for the community. WordPress is an Open Source project, which means there are hundreds of people all over the world working on it. (More than most commercial platforms.) It also means you are free to use it for anything from your cat’s home page to a Fortune 5 web (http://autoshows.ford.com/ site without paying anyone a license fee. You can see what is possible with this link: http://autoshows.ford.com/ Lau’s links didn’t come over, so here they are:

http://www.joomla.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

http://www.build-your-own-cheap-computer.com/computer-retailers.html

http://wordpress.org/about/

Everything you see here, from the documentation to the
code itself, was created by and for the community.
WordPress is an Open Source project, which means there
are hundreds of people all over the world working on
it. (More than most commercial platforms.) It also
means you are free to use it for anything from your
cat’s home page to a Fortune 5 web
(http://autoshows.ford.com/ site without paying anyone
a license fee.

You can see what is possible with this link:

http://autoshows.ford.com/

]]> By: Wayne Anderson http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2461 Wayne Anderson Sun, 18 May 2008 16:20:19 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2461 B-Man: The dual 22" is very nice. I have it at both home and work and won't be going back to one ever. From a productivity perspective, I think the screen real estate can give an ISM the best benefit. I usually have 20+ programs open at once and spead out across the screens. I can track, analyze, create so much more at a faster rate. Of course, you'll need the video card to support it, and then a cpu, memory, power and motherboard to support all that. So, basically, a complete system upgrade is in order. I'm a total geek, and now can proudly admit it. (I always say to myself, "Bill gates is a geek") I used to suppress it, but this tech sh#t just keeps getting better and better. It'll only become more pervasive, and at a faster rate. Its nearly impossible to not be engaged with it all. So where are the Amazon links to all these computer parts Jeff? :) B-Man: The dual 22″ is very nice. I have it at both home and work and won’t be going back to one ever. From a productivity perspective, I think the screen real estate can give an ISM the best benefit. I usually have 20+ programs open at once and spead out across the screens. I can track, analyze, create so much more at a faster rate. Of course, you’ll need the video card to support it, and then a cpu, memory, power and motherboard to support all that. So, basically, a complete system upgrade is in order.

I’m a total geek, and now can proudly admit it. (I always say to myself, “Bill gates is a geek”) I used to suppress it, but this tech sh#t just keeps getting better and better. It’ll only become more pervasive, and at a faster rate. Its nearly impossible to not be engaged with it all.

So where are the Amazon links to all these computer parts Jeff? :)

]]> By: Andrew Wright http://www.dealerrefresh.com/building-the-right-computer-for-the-internet-sales-manager/comment-page-1/#comment-2460 Andrew Wright Sun, 18 May 2008 14:18:47 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=297#comment-2460 Great discussion fellas. I owned a MAC a few years ago but found it difficult to access some websites with Safari and I have the same problem with Firefox. So I sold the MAC and bought a HP laptop. For example, Reynolds Contact Managment is inaccessible in an efficient fashion with anything other than Internet Explorer. Honda' Interactive Network and Hyundai's dealer portal are totally inaccessible with anything other than IE and its my understanding that you can't run Reynolds ERA on a MAC. Computer's are definitely becoming necessary in virtually every department in the dealership. Buying the right systems and then putting together a plan to maintain them is critical. We began controlling access to certains sites on the net and that has contributed to healthier computer hardware (now that there isn't a big a exposure risk to viruses and malware on the net). We also don't allow outside computers on our primary business network which cuts down on the introduction of viruses to our system. Stores without comprehensive technology procurement, management and maintenance plans will end up spending more on technology because their exposure to problems will be greater. Great discussion fellas. I owned a MAC a few years ago but found it difficult to access some websites with Safari and I have the same problem with Firefox. So I sold the MAC and bought a HP laptop. For example, Reynolds Contact Managment is inaccessible in an efficient fashion with anything other than Internet Explorer. Honda’ Interactive Network and Hyundai’s dealer portal are totally inaccessible with anything other than IE and its my understanding that you can’t run Reynolds ERA on a MAC.

Computer’s are definitely becoming necessary in virtually every department in the dealership. Buying the right systems and then putting together a plan to maintain them is critical. We began controlling access to certains sites on the net and that has contributed to healthier computer hardware (now that there isn’t a big a exposure risk to viruses and malware on the net). We also don’t allow outside computers on our primary business network which cuts down on the introduction of viruses to our system.

Stores without comprehensive technology procurement, management and maintenance plans will end up spending more on technology because their exposure to problems will be greater.

]]>