I'm sorry... I just found this CNN article amusing.http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/interne...eut/index.html

They make it sound like Windows isn't already inherently prone to viruses. Just made me smile because I've got a Mac Virus-free since birth. What an immune system!

 

There's been plenty of security vulnerabilities in MacOS, it's just that hackers want virii that exploit the largest installed base, which is of course Windows.

 

Just because MACs haven't been the focus of the same type of agressive hacking as the Windows platforms are, don't kid yourself that you are not vulnerable. As soon as they can prove a point (i.e. it is "profitable" in their eyes) the hackers will be onto the vulnerablities of MACs quicker than a NYC minute.

 

If Apple ever takes the lion's share of the market from MS, Apple will be riddled with viruses. Apple owners should be thankful to MS for keeping their computers safe. In fact, it's only because of MS that Apple is still around.

 

I've got a Mac too... I did a speech last year on them... 1,000 to 1: PC vs. Mac viruses.

 

I need to do this myself:

• Consider a non-IE browser, such as Opera
• Consider Eudora instead of MS Outlook

...more radical, get Linux

I'm not exactly crazy about Norton's Internet Security - it seems to slow things down....

 

Why aren't apache servers violated as much as IIS servers. Last I heard Apache was the #1 webserver.

What hackers realy like to do is just attack what ever is easiest. It doesn't mater if they are the most populous OS or not. Human nature is what it is and people generaly gravitate towards easy.

Also, consider this. Microsoft tries to integrate everything together. This is good in some sense, but it means if there is a flaw in one thing it affects the whole OS. Linux and MacOS and a bunch of other OSs tend to be more componentized (I think I just made up a word). This does two things 1) it limits the effect of the component if it breaks or gets hacked, and 2) It allows choice so you don't have any one piece of software dominating others. So while there may be a word processor that has a majority of users, the majority will be no where near the monopoly Office has on a windows machine.

This makes every computer more unique so it is harder to have cookie cutter virii.

Just an opinion. Don't bite off my head

 

Hey Chuck,


Have you considered looking at Mozilla Firefox as an alternate browser? It works well and has many add-ons. I really like the ad blocker and tabbed browsing.


Regards,

 

Yes, I use Firefox as well.

You are correct in that one reason for the lack of viruses for Mac OSX is hackers' concentration on Windows instead. However, Windows is by nature a very vulnerable operating system. Virus writers would have a much tougher time exploiting Mac in a comparable way. And even if they did, Apple doesn't appear to have the same bureaucracy as Microsoft that prevents timely fixes. Additionally, it doesn't take a computer science degree to patch Mac OSX while Windows is usually very confusing to the average user.

 

As a long time Mac user I have always felt safe not having a great deal of security software or virus software on my machines. The worst Mac virus I ever had was nVIR and frankly it wasn't that dammaging. It just piggied up the machine a bit and was pretty easy to get rid of with free virus tools that were out there. And the only way I ever got it was by using software from questionable sources. In all the years I have had a Mac on the Internet I have never gotten a virus, nor an Office virus nor anything else.