1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

News Apple advises use of Mac anti-virus

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 27 Nov 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. LAGMonkey

    LAGMonkey Group 7 error

    Joined:
    4 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    1,507
    Likes Received:
    8
    i second that motion.

    (but i still personally wont buy a MAC - too expencive for me)
     
  2. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

    Joined:
    5 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    402
    Likes Received:
    4
    I am a Mac fan first, but use the other common OSs regularly. I do administer to 100% Mac users though, and have for the past 12 years.

    What I have seen is that the typical Mac user is much less exposed to a computer virus, root-kit, or spyware than the typical Windows user. This doesn't mean that the Mac is 100% virus-proof (far from it), just safer for the average user.

    Now sending someone in to buy a Mac over a PC by saying they are 100% safe is ridiculous. Saying they are much less likely to have a malware problem is still accurate I think.
     
  3. Jumeira_Johnny

    Jumeira_Johnny 16032 - High plains drifter

    Joined:
    13 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    3,708
    Likes Received:
    144
    If you muppets would stop downloading Thai donkey porn off of Russian servers over limewire, then it wouldn't matter what OS you use. Yes, you, Manks and Fathazza.

    While no one is safe, smart downloading/surfing is 98% of the game.
     
  4. Ted Landry

    Ted Landry What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Nov 2008
    Posts:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    [QUOTE}as for myself, I made a case study out of it for interest and as a talking point for the written part of an IT security course for my Software engineering minor, so I think my facts are quite straight thanks.[/QUOTE]

    For: GoodBytes

    Well, the written portion of your IT security course contained an error. I was just pointing that out. OSX was released in March of 2001, and as of Nov 28th, 2008, there is still not a single virus for that operating system. There were 1 or 2 minor worms & trojans around 2004, 2005, but no virus, none... zip, nada... so your essay was partly incorrect.

    I know much more about IT security, and FAR more about OSX, so simply admit your essay wasn't fully correct and move on.

    Geeesh!
     
  5. Bluephoenix

    Bluephoenix Spoon? What spoon?

    Joined:
    3 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    968
    Likes Received:
    1
    seems you can't even quote right, I was the one who took the course, and I have the actual virus still quarantined, as part of the study was to releae it on an isolated machine and study its effects.


    Please do go learn something, rather than spouting useless drivel.

    also in the process of doing IT work for a company that uses a mix of Mac and PC hardware I have encountered at least 50 different viruses for macs, none of them very pleasant.
     
  6. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Your Apple fanboy rant is complete BS and the last sentence of this post makes your entire comment stereotypically internet laughable.

    The fact that multiple people have said contrary to your claims in far more balanced and well thought out posts proves this.
     
  7. Glider

    Glider /dev/null

    Joined:
    2 Aug 2005
    Posts:
    4,173
    Likes Received:
    21
    Calling BSD and UNIX OpenSource made me completely ignore all the rest of his spam...
    EDIT: BTW, OSx is built on Darwin ;)
     
    Last edited: 29 Nov 2008
  8. Gremlin

    Gremlin What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    31 Aug 2008
    Posts:
    238
    Likes Received:
    2
    i vote someone send Ted a mac virus and shut him up once and for all

    then again being a mac zealot he will call whatever error it throws up a 'feature'
     
  9. Ted Landry

    Ted Landry What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Nov 2008
    Posts:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    There are no Mac Viruses on OSX, so I guess you are correct, send me a fairy tale one...
     
  10. Ted Landry

    Ted Landry What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Nov 2008
    Posts:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    If you want to be specific, OSX is built on FreeBSD.

    http://www.freebsd.org/

    And you can download the OSX distro for free here:

    http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/

    Apple is the largest OpenSource proponent on the planet, never forget that... If it's not "open"... Apple will not use it...

    ---
     
  11. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

    Joined:
    5 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    402
    Likes Received:
    4
    Um Ted, I am a Mac fan and even I am cringing at your claims here. Apple has quite a few completely proprietary apps, DRM and the like. They have indeed used open-source initiatives to in their OS and applications - and contributed back to open-source, but by no means is it correct to say "...if it's not "open" Apple will not use it..."
     
  12. johnmustrule

    johnmustrule What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    12 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    345
    Likes Received:
    3
    But Leap.A wasn't a virus, it was a worm, and it never infected any machines in the wild. It was clean room only.

    I'm simply saying there haven't been any viruses for OSX, and that remains true. Sure "someday" something could appear that affects 10-20 machines, but the way OSX is constructed there is technically no way for something like that to spread, so unless a hacker goes from machine to machine to machine and "physically" enters the root password, it cannot move from Mac to Mac to Mac.

    OSX is the most secure, mainstream OS for a reason and that's because Apple took the time to do security right, PLUS they built it on top of the most secure OpenSource OS, BSD UNIX, so that's why Mac users will never need extra security software.

    ---[/QUOTE]

    ZDnet:

    "While Mac OS X had 234 highly critical vulnerabilities reported in 2007, Vista and XP combined had 23"

    "'This shows that Apple had more than five times the number of flaws per month than Windows XP and Vista in 2007 and most of these flaws are serious. Clearly this goes against conventional wisdom.'
    Macs have traditionally been viewed as suffering from fewer vulnerabilities than Windows."

    "The amount of exploit code available in the wild also has an impact on security. While there are thousands of pieces of code that seek to exploit Windows XP vulnerabilities, exploit code for Mac OS X is relatively rare."

    Basically Mac OSX is a piece of crap according to anyone who's ever tried to hack it. A unix base is nothing if it's not implemeted correctly. If most of the world used Mac OSX as you invision we'd be sufferiing from severe spyware/virus bloating that would cripple PC useres world wide. The only reason that Apple computers "appear" to be more secure is because no one writes viruses for them. Apple is like Bose, great advertising, blindly loyal fanbase, and shoddy shoddy quality behind the curtains. I'm not trying to be an ass but I hear the "apple is so f'n safe!" argument all the time and the fact of the matter is simply the opposite, MS should be very proud.

    http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39169503,00.htm
     
  13. Bluephoenix

    Bluephoenix Spoon? What spoon?

    Joined:
    3 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    968
    Likes Received:
    1

    The main thing that artificially created the "no viruses for macs" propaganda was not the fact that people don't write viruses for macs, it is the fact that when Apple finds a vulnerability their policy is "don't let anyone know" instead of Microsoft's "warn everyone who might be affected so they can protect themselves."

    if any company has done things right it would in fact be Microsoft, and not Apple.
     
  14. Glider

    Glider /dev/null

    Joined:
    2 Aug 2005
    Posts:
    4,173
    Likes Received:
    21
    Lol, is all I can say... YOU are trying to give me lessons in *NIX???

    Look at your own link for gods sake... www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/

    Apple OSx is as DRM and closed source as Windows is...
     
    Guest-16 likes this.
  15. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    D-R-M

    Apple LOCKS down its iTunes, its Macs, its hardware and software to keep others out.

    I found this funny too.

    No it's not - it's because the proportion of Mac use is the tiniest fraction of that of Windows, and Virus writers can make FAR MORE MONEY out of exploiting botnets made for Windows than they can any other OS.

    Couple in the fact that most Windows users are ****ing mainstream retards who don't update their PCs, or have other software "helping", and you've a recipe for **** hitting the fan.
     
  16. kingred

    kingred Surfacing sucks!

    Joined:
    27 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    2,462
    Likes Received:
    87
    Effective trolling is quite interesting to watch.

    I hope its trolling, not blind stupidity.

    By the way, i would love for someone to use finalcut-pro on windows.
     
  17. Glider

    Glider /dev/null

    Joined:
    2 Aug 2005
    Posts:
    4,173
    Likes Received:
    21
    Maybe he can be used as an example of negative reputation? Since Spec isn't getting any :D

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X is clear on his claims, OSx is based on BSD (which isn't free!) and later on FreeBSD (which is free) and NetBSD (not free again).

    Also, a Closed source model (with OS components) is used... That's like using firefox on Windows...
     
    Last edited: 29 Nov 2008
  18. Ted Landry

    Ted Landry What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Nov 2008
    Posts:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    There is no DRM in much of the iTunes store... and none in Mac hardware... The DRM is put in place by the record companies NOT Apple... so get your facts straight.

    As for the number of Mac users... It's now about 8% Macs running OSX and around 90% running some form of Windows, 1% Linux, 1% Other.

    Yes, OSX runs smoother since it's based on UNIX and Apple frequently updates it... but we all agree Windows is a mess since it was never intended to run on world wide networks, whereas OSX is the same OS that brought something called the "world wide web"... perhaps you've heard of it???

    So while many of the more demanding computer users have moved up to Macs, I think the freedom will bring many more in the near future.
     
  19. Ted Landry

    Ted Landry What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Nov 2008
    Posts:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    Actually, around 96% of OSX is purely open... The entire OS is... except for the UI of Finder and Aqua... the Safari Browser is of course, all networking & printing is... (did you see where Apple bought CUPS! wow...) and most all of the foundation / frameworks, etc are...

    Windows is nearly ALL proprietary... even many file formats are proprietary...

    Apple stopped doing that around 1997, so it's nice to have such an open platform in Apple Hardware and Software now that Linux has given up trying to compete in the Desktop and Laptop / Phone space.

    ---
     
  20. johnmustrule

    johnmustrule What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    12 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    345
    Likes Received:
    3
    Well, I thought I'd point out a few glaring issues here:

    1. "smoothness" of an OS is largly based on two things: opinion and hardware. Considering both differ greatly from user to user there's really no basis for comparison. As far as I can tell, when I'm browsing the isles of bestbuy the fresh windows machines are just as "smooth" as anything mac offers.

    2. As far as windows "not being intended to run on worldwide networks" I have no idea what your talking about. Apple and windows where not fore-runners when it comes to networking. If you really want to know, the internet was first accesed by an organization called ARPA in the 1960's MIT is listed a bunch in the early years (they where also the people who developed ans sold the first consumer PC that worked on a network). Then comes names like Intel which released the first computer with a CPU that worked on a network and then all the real consumer work was done by Xerox and IBM. As far as which OS is better for networking, any IT pro will tell you windows is the hands-down winner, and to back it up there's a windows majority in that market too and it's not driven by brand loyalty either its driven by the fact that windows is a superior platform for networking. OSX did not bring anyone the WWW, Americans did :) and a bunch of college students at that! If you want to credit any specific company it should be Xerox or IBM.

    3. Demanding computer users do not choose OSX. All you have to do is look at Apples strategy to see that, simple is everything they do, and simple things do not do complex tasks and most power users often have many complex tasks to do! If you want a powerful, flexible and capable platform go with Microsoft and a good antivirus, if you want numbing simplicity go with Apple.

    4. Furthermore, I do not appreciate you oversighting your previous allegations. Windows is by far a more secure platform than OSX and I'd greatly appreciate you either arguing that point or retracting that statement.

    5. UNIX is a brilliant operating system that OSX is losely based upon, and just because OSX is tied to UNIX doesn't mean it is UNIX. It's not an argument to say OSX is better because it's based on UNIX, the programmers at MS have most likely also read that code and evidence supports that they actually understood it which is far more than Apple can say.

    http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/
    http://www.landsnail.com/apple/local/evolution/timeline.html
    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/winhistorydesktop.mspx
    http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39169503,00.htm
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page