THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA"

I saw a post that asked "Why would a small business not use Leopard Server?" and then pointed to this Roughly Drafted article 

iPhone 2.0: Exchange vs Leopard Server — RoughlyDrafted Magazine:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/08/iphone-20-exchange-vs-leopard-server/

For one dudes, you are not comparing the right product.  For anyone in the 10 to 25 cal range that's the primo preemo sweet spot for SBS 2003 soon to be SBS 2008.

If I go into Dell's store and attempt to build something similar.. (I think it's equivalent hardware and it's with SBS and 25 cals) my price tag is about $5,500 which according to the article the Apple server is about that same price tag.

Then it's about the "hit by a bus syndrome" and economics.  I know a lot of folks that know how to set up a SBS server.  I don't know any locally that can set up an Leopard one.  And you are also turning a blind eye at the LOB core of the firm.  Can the other apps that need to go on that server be supported on a Mac platform.  Don't pick a platform either Mac or Windows based on your religion.  It's about what makes the business run.  The OSX server forums showcase that this isn't a plop it in and deploy it server like SBS, things have to be set up.  Again, not comparing apples to oranges.

I can totally understand someone in a 25 person marketing and public relations firm being able to run their business on a Mac.  But whomever quoted this gal $100,000 for a SharePoint deployment or a 25 person firm?  Man she got ripped off big time.  There's no way that it should cost $100,000 for a SharePoint deployment UNLESS it was externally facing with a SQL processor license and what not, in which case that's a whole different server set up you are talking about and I honestly would outsource that externally anyway because I would not want externally facing customers able to log into my active directory domain.

Yeah there are times that the cals make you insane, but Shani Magosky?  You got ripped of big time with whomever did that quote for you. 

Get the right server for the job.  And get someone who can quote you reasonable licensing.  Maybe that's the hardest part of all, but I really do not see that many small businesses using Leopard Server.  It just doesn't make economic sense for the bulk of the small business spaces that I see out here.