Wow... from the way the Mac-boosters talk, OS-X is impervious to flaws. At least, that's what I thought until I ran across this article this morning.
Apple wouldn't even be looking to patch vulnerabilities if there wasn't cause for concern. This article makes the Mac sound just like a PC to me.
For what it's worth, I've been completely virus-free over an entire 20 years of owning PCs, most of which never included running anti-virus software (though I do take that precaution today). So am I concerned about security issues today? Yes. If I owned a Mac would I be? From that article, it sounds like the answer would again be yes. The Mac apparently isn't as flawless as the boosters would have us believe.
As a long time Mac user (14 years) I've always been the first to hold my finger to my lips when people start extolling its virus free virtues - c'mon people, that's like waving a flag in front of a bull! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if companies with less-than-stellar morals whose profits depend heavily on Windows users don't start hiring hackers to write malware specifically for the Mac in order to protect those profits.
Those of us with any technical knowledge of Apple hardware/software are well aware that they are most certainly NOT invulnerable to malicious software (though they are far more resilient than any iteration of Windows...), the Mac's reputation for this stems from the fact that they are a minority & thus rarely targeted for such attacks.
Regardless of that fact, for me using a mac has nothing to do with its apparent malware free existence - it is all about
1) how smoothly & reliably they operate 99% of the time
2) the quality (not quantity!) of the software & hardware available to them, and
3) how much further advanced the OS has always been in comparison to Windows.
I mean, if you look at Microsoft's latest attempt at a decent OS (Vista), it's nothing more than a notoriously failing clone-wannabe of the CURRENT release of the Mac OS. In fact they are even starting to name features that the Mac OS has had for 2 generations very similarly!
I'll stop there - suffice to say that there is a reason why Apple has more than just survived over the years. Considering it's small marketshare, it would have died long ago if it WASN'T a better mousetrap...
Wow... from the way the Mac-boosters talk, OS-X is impervious to flaws. At least, that's what I thought until I ran across this article this morning.
Apple wouldn't even be looking to patch vulnerabilities if there wasn't cause for concern. This article makes the Mac sound just like a PC to me.
For what it's worth, I've been completely virus-free over an entire 20 years of owning PCs, most of which never included running anti-virus software (though I do take that precaution today). So am I concerned about security issues today? Yes. If I owned a Mac would I be? From that article, it sounds like the answer would again be yes. The Mac apparently isn't as flawless as the boosters would have us believe.
There are always security concerns, patches and fixes. OS X is BSD Unix at its core.
While there is the occasional secirity hole discovered thet are not the gaping holes discovered and exploited on Windows on a weekly basis.
The real measure is how many times and how easily are the vunerabilies exploited?
While you may have been virus and attack free for 20+ years, would you recommend this to those a littel less vigilent? I like to think about my work and projects, not about the potential for exploitation. But that's just me, your agenda may be different.
am I concerned about security issues today? Yes. If I owned a Mac would I be? From that article, it sounds like the answer would again be yes. The Mac apparently isn't as flawless as the boosters would have us believe.
Maybe it's just me, but I would much rather hear about flaws from reports that they've been discovered and patched than news that they've been used to attack millions of vulnerable computers.
am I concerned about security issues today? Yes. If I owned a Mac would I be? From that article, it sounds like the answer would again be yes. The Mac apparently isn't as flawless as the boosters would have us believe.
Maybe it's just me, but I would much rather hear about flaws from reports that they've been discovered and patched than news that they've been used to attack millions of vulnerable computers.
It's mostly a numbers game though. There isn't money in writing viruses for Mac. Running at about 3% of home installed OSes, it doesn't make sense to invest in writing viruses for that platform. The money is all targeted at windows hosts. BSD may or may not be more secure, it probably is, but that doesn't mean it is actually secure.
There just isn't much profit to be made in doing it. Lucky for Mac users, that isn't likely to change much if ever, as the market share for OSX isn't likely to ever get much above 10% if it even goes that high.
There just isn't much profit to be made in doing it. Lucky for Mac users, that isn't likely to change much if ever, as the market share for OSX isn't likely to ever get much above 10% if it even goes that high.
Unless Apple licenses a version which will run on any WinTel box, not just their own ...
I don't care as much for the reason as the result. If I thought one lock was only marginally more secure than another, but robbers would probably never target it anyway, then that's the lock for me!. If the less vulnarable lock does everything the other ones do and more for about the same price (and looks better to boot), then it's a no-brainer.
I've tried macs a few times, and everytime i have i've become frustrated with the system. Seriously, is it really that hard to put an extra mouse button on there? I use it so often it's not even funny.
The worst expirience I had so far, which I don't count against macs really, is that this girl had spilled soda on her keyboard, and 7 or 8 of the keys didn't work. Important keys like, e, r, a number or two, and what have you. I couldn't even figure out how to copy and paste the letters, which she had in some kind of notepadesk file thing on the side of the screen to type words with.
I've not used the new macs really, but if they're anything like the older ones, I'm going to keep my distance.
I can't believe I just read someone bash a Mac because of the mouse it came with & some incident involving keyboard failure due to soda contamination... Um-mm, very few people I know actually use the free mouse and, I'm sorry, I don't think PC keyboards are any more impervious to sticky liquids than Macs are!
Is that all you got?
(I generally never participate in PC vs. Mac wars but I'm feeling feisty today so look out!)
A telling quote. I've NEVER heard anyone say, "I wish I had a PC" or "Man, am I glad I got a PC" or "Once you get a PC, you'll never go back to Mac." Ever see a Dell logo on the back window of a car? Apple enjoys a loyal customer base for good reason. Little wonder Mac users are older demographically... that's called wisdom. ;-)
Actually, I know one guy who says exactly that, "I went PC a few years back, and I'll never, never go back to Mac." And he's a really nice guy (he's not at DPChallenge). He's in Wyoming.
It's a shame that Macs still have the reputation as being more expensive than PCs - if you compare feature to feature (processor speed, drive capacity/types and especially included software) you'll find they priced the same, sometimes BETTER than PCs...
I use a Windows PC, but I am becoming a Windows cleaner, regularly checking for virus...spyware...adware etc. But I know Windows and PCs, been using for too long now.
I have a Mac, it is getting old, has a hole in it and the rains soaks thru. Maybe I should get a new Mac...maybe a trenchcoat??
Macs seem to hold their value better than most PC's, so a big part of the investment in a new Mac can be recouped by selling your used Mac when buying the new one. This can be easily checked out on the sites where they sell used computer equipment. Used Macs are quite a bit higher priced used than their PC counterparts of the same age and specs.
The latest Macs can start up and run either Windows or OSX native now (without having to convert things,) so if you are a current Windows user, you can stay with the OS you already have a handle on, and play with all the classy looking Mac hardware. They are also firewalled, so that the Window bugs can't cross into the OSX side.
Little kids love the built in camera on the new notebooks. When you show them the iPhoto program that makes funhouse mirror pics of their faces, you can't get them away from it.
I can't believe I just read someone bash a Mac because of the mouse it came with & some incident involving keyboard failure due to soda contamination... Um-mm, very few people I know actually use the free mouse and, I'm sorry, I don't think PC keyboards are any more impervious to sticky liquids than Macs are!
Is that all you got?
(I generally never participate in PC vs. Mac wars but I'm feeling feisty today so look out!)
Thanks for reading what I actually wrote *rolls eyes*
(But since you brought it up, my microsoft keyboard actually did survive such an assault.)
