apple computers

i heard that they never get virus....why is that?...also are they spyware free too?...or is spyware the same thing as virus?

i'm going to buy a new computer and want to know the facts...i've been a pc user all my life but maybe its time to change?...

help please...thanks
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http://www.phatimages.com

You might get some info in the PC forum and Mac forum. Usually this type of question posted here gets a bunch of useless Mac vs. PC opinions.

Chris

phat dinh said:

i heard that they never get virus....why is that?...also are they
spyware free too?...or is spyware the same thing as virus?

i'm going to buy a new computer and want to know the facts...i've
been a pc user all my life but maybe its time to change?...

help please...thanks
--



http://www.phatimages.com

Click to expand...

Useless info: There are no Mac viruses yet : )

If you are some whacko about to write a virus .... do you want to write one that will just hurt us few Mac users? Or do you want to write one that will infect the gazillion PCs out there?

For maximum effect and quickest return on time invested .... PC is the hackers choice. Also easier since Windoze is chock full of a gazillion security holes that kep popping up every other day. LOL

As a Mac user do I want everyone to turn to Macs also? HECK NO ... there is security in being this small.

Behind a firewall/router ... but other than that .... naked as I can be. Amazing how fast a computer can be when you do not have all that security software running in the background constantly.

You are wrong, there a several Mac OS viruses floating around. Macs don't get as many viruses for one simple reason, their base technology. Windows XP is an NT technology where as OS X is a Linux technology. Linux is a much more secure, and in a sense simplistic OS. Its like having two cameras, a very simple one with no bells and whistles and a rather complex one. They both take pictures just as well, its just the more complex one, the Windows one, has a higher risk of breaking down. Windows XP in my opinion really isn't all that great. It is NT with various afterthought modules stuck on to it. Linux is more of a integrated well based OS. That said, the new Microsoft Longhorn OS may fix some of the issues we tend to see and hopefully provide a good performance boost.

--
http://www.camhabib.smugmug.com

Mac OS-X is Unix NOT Linux. It is just that much better!

I haven't seen/heard of a Mac virus since the mid 80s.

Definitely no OS X ones that I know of.

It's a combination of the operating system being more secure and also less popular.

It really is great not having to constantly worry about viruses and security updates.

Windows NT does not have a fundamental security issue, it's just been getting poked at a long time. And is only a problem for people who bring the problems on to them.

Furthermore Mac OS is NOT Linux based. Its based on Darwin, which is a bit of a mutant. It started as BSD4.4 from long ago, has since had its kernel (the true core of the OS) replaced by the Mach Micro-kernel. The other parts of it have been slowly replaced with parts from FreeBSD. Its slowly becoming heavily FreeBSD 5 based. It also started out as NeXT OS, the company Steve Jobs founded when he was forced out of Apple. Apple bought it, and reworked it. Parts such as the dock are still there. The fun thing is Apple is now moving it back to x86 which is were NeXT OS spent most of it's life.

Anyways, Mac OSX has a few advantages, it's pretty new, so it hasn't been around for the 15 years or so of Windows NT to have people poke and prod at it. It is built a little better, but still has plenty of security issues, just apple gets them out before most people figure them out. Also it's simply a small target, but as Apple grows, it will catch the eye of others.

Also Windows has gotten very solid and doesn't have many holes anymore. Anyone who keeps their computer properly patched and up to date will have little issue. Problem is most windows people aren't using WinXP SP2, unlike the mac world where most people are running the latest and greatest.

Overall my Mac has been much more problematic then my Shuttle running WinXP. MacOS may not have much for virus problems. But it still has plenty of built in bugs. Safari has a long way to go, heck right now you can crash it by clicking on some animated gifs.

If you want to avoid viruses then apple is the better choice even though there probably are some mac viruses floating around. But with some care it shouldn't be so hard to avoid viruses on a pc too. I use both and haven't had much problem. Make sure your pc programs have mac versions.
-Anna

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http://www.annayuphoto.com
-Bless those that smile upon us, and allow us to take their picture.

My apologies, you are correct. My head isn't in the right place today.

C.Frank Powell said:

Mac OS-X is Unix NOT Linux. It is just that much better!

Click to expand...

--
http://www.camhabib.smugmug.com

phat dinh said:

i heard that they never get virus....why is that?...also are they
spyware free too?...or is spyware the same thing as virus?

i'm going to buy a new computer and want to know the facts...i've
been a pc user all my life but maybe its time to change?...

help please...thanks

Click to expand...

There are no real virus threats for the Mac right now. Also, very few spyware issues, not nearly to the extent on the PC.

The only real threat on the mac is the browser/email based threats that are common to all platforms, and are OS independent.

For buying a Mac, here's the lowdown (and I'm a Mac guy).

For the desktop/tower systems, the G5 towers are fine, and the intel units are a LONG ways off. Over a year. IF this is what you need, don't wait.

For a laptop, I would wait. The current Mac laptops are underpowered, and intel-based upgrades are on their way. IF you need a laptop, wait. Right now, due to the price difference, I'd get a Dell with one of the special deals.

If you want a all-in-one, the iMacs are great, and are good performers.

Niche market - Not as much havoc and less fun to mess with. Hence targeted less often, however they get their market share.
--
Phil Agur

350D - Full equipment list in profile, taste in neon from sailing the tropics below.

Now I remember,

There was a Mac virus (MP3 really) that made the news last year, but no damage : )

Useless info: Windows is a complex… camera, with huge market share : )

Yeah, it's fine to get a G5 tower now, but definitely hold off on the laptops. It's pretty amazing that people will drop $2000-$2500 for such old technology. I guess there really isn't any competition out there. The 12" iBooks are still an okay value though if you absolutely have to have an Apple laptop. I've toyed with the idea of getting a Dell laptop for awhile, but using Windows is just so painful after using OS 9/X for the last several years. If you're happy with Windows though, definitely go for a PC for a laptop. You shouldn't switch solely to prevent yourself from getting viruses.

Hey, Phat, hlow the heck are you? Still working at being a pro?

I've had Macs for some years and would hate to give them up. It's interesting, Mac people have a passion for their computer that PC people don't know or understand. Though, at the same time, there are a lot of professional photographers who went to Macs a long time ago, when there were serious performance issues with Windows. These days, the serious performance issues are gone. WinXP is a good stable operating system. It's taken most of the good ideas from Mac and tried to implement them into Windows, and done a pretty good job.

I've got a PC and a Mac sitting side-by-side, I've got CS-2 on my Mac, that is my photo machine, and use the PC for word processing (I've got a good version of Wordperfect on it, I hate, hate, hate Word) and crusing the net. I suppose I could live with the PC if I had to give up the Mac, but I wouldn't be happy about it. I'd miss the Mac.

Mac is an integrated solution that tends to work better for longer. There are still lot's of people happily using older technology with Macs. And many, many people use their Macs far longer than anyone would dream of using a PC. Five or ten year old Macs are not uncommon. My desktop Mac is almost five years old and I'm going to wait at least another year before I get rid of it.

I think I can almost guarantee that if you buy a Mac within a year you'd never go back. People become fanatics about Macs, which is simply unheard of in the PC world.

There's a book published by Scott Kelby, "The Naked Truth," about Macs. If you're thinking about a Mac, get it and read it. It's hilarious and true. Well worth the time and effort, even if you don't buy a Mac.

Contact me if you've got other questions, like most Mac people, we're friendly as well as fanatic about our "babies."

phat dinh said:

i heard that they never get virus....why is that?...also are they
spyware free too?...or is spyware the same thing as virus?

i'm going to buy a new computer and want to know the facts...i've
been a pc user all my life but maybe its time to change?...

help please...thanks
--



http://www.phatimages.com

Click to expand...

In the interest of truthfulness (and avoiding trolls), I'll try to be very clear. Also, keep in mind that everything I say refers to Mac OSX.

phat dinh said:

i heard that they never get virus....why is that?...also are they
spyware free too?...or is spyware the same thing as virus?

Click to expand...

While it is true that no virus for Mac OSX has yet been discovered in "the wild" (i.e. actually hurting people's computers), it is possible that one could exist in the future. That said, Mac OSX is in some ways a less fertile host than Windows, as it is better configured. There are fewer hooks between the browser and the OS, dangerous network services are turned off by default, and user permissions are employed more judiciously.

Spyware is not a virus, it is software that makes it onto your machine and then spies on what you are doing and reports it back to someone. Most spyware programs are downloaded by the user by accident--either in the course of downloading something else (like a game or screensaver, etc), or in an e-mail attachment, etc. Again, Macs can theoretically host spyware, but PCs are more fertile ground, presenting fewer obstructions to the installation of spyware.

Finally, there are way fewer Macs than PCs, and correspondingly more programmers for PC than Mac. As a result, PCs make a much fatter target for viruses or spyware, AND there is a much larger base of programming knowledge out there to write such software.

phat dinh said:

i'm going to buy a new computer and want to know the facts...
i've been a pc user all my life but maybe its time to change?...

Click to expand...

The facts are that while Macs are not invulnerable, they make for much safer computing right now for two reasons:
1. They are well configured for security.
2. They are not targeted by most virus/worm/spyware writers.

Finally, in terms of speed or capability, Macs keep up just fine with PCs. Most things run just as fast (especially if you have lots of RAM). The network and software compatibility with PCs is very good as well.

I would recommend getting a Mac. I did after 3 PCs and have not looked back--I love it.

john, thanks...long time no hear...good to see ya

are you still shooting for free?...man, its tough to become a pro...not sure if i'll ever make it but at least it pays little things here and there...

guess i'll still keep on trying....

if i do get a apple, what do you recommend?...i want something awesome just for doing photos...is there a good place to buy them also?
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http://www.phatimages.com