Just a (hopefully) helpful reminder from The Reg that vunerablities exist on Apples and Linux as well so continue to be vigilant.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04...tive_os_flaws/

Nobody in his right mind would seriously believe OS X is complete safe. Apple has been very cocky and at the same time dangerously negligent about its security policy concerning OS X. It's normal that OSs have security flaws. What's important is the time it takes to plug these holes. And Apple really doesn't have the best track record here.

peter

ps: I'm a Mac user myself

We used to get the occasional trojan in the old days of Mac OS 8, but things have really improved since OS X. We shouldn't be complacent, though - stuff like this will crop up every now and then. But it's worlds away from the paranoia you inevitably develop when using Windows. It beats me why people put up with it. I was in Fust in Bern the other day, and I noticed the PC software section - one rather sparse shelf of boxed versions of Windows and five shelves packed with software for anti-virus, anti-spyware, housekeeping, fault-finding, optimisation, firewalls, diagnostics...

Macs don't seem as popular in Switzerland as I expected, given the natural Swiss inclination to favour high-priced, high-quality stuff. Maybe it conflicts with the other Swiss inclination not to be different.

And I've been thinking of converting to Apple.
The lack of responses to this thread is convincing me. No viruses, or certainly not as many attacks as MS.

Should I chuck out my Windows pc?

A quote taken from the link you supplied:
The risk is only local (someone sitting at your computer) and not remotely (through the Internet).

Switzerland has the highest number of Mac users in the world! (no, that's not a joke). However, Macs are mostly found in private households and in Universities / schools and may not stick out.

peter

This thread makes a good point well. There is a definite tendency amongst us Mac users to believe that we are somehow invulnerable.

However, once you accept the point that all OS's have vulnerabilities, it then comes down to which OS is "safer". And when you put Mac OS X or a Linux distro next to Windows, then the answer is (for me at least) a no brainer.

If you can afford the move i.e. buying new hardware, the time to move. if you are careful and keep everything up-to-date and have a minimum extra of decent firewall and virus scanner (which can be got free) on your windows machine then you should be fine.

if you are thinking/afford upgrading anyway then seriously consider the move to Mac. i would say linux but the transition can be difficult for most people as the mind set of the user needs to change completely and finding similar software to what you are familiar with can be difficult.

at home i have several linux machine, recently got a mac and am very impressed with it. there are a few windoze boxes somewhere!

if you do move to mac the mac shop gurus offer a 'moving service' to help you transition your files, there are even into courses you can have. but this seems to be quite an IT savy forum so help will be available here too (c;

Yes certainly no Brainer as to which is safer, either Mac or Linux. I have both have had Linux for 6 to 7 years and Mac for 5, would never go back to Windows.

Why not install Ubuntu on it and explore the world of Linux?

Apple's Swiss personal computer marketshare by sold units has been in the 8.1-8.3% range in 2006-2008 (source) which ranks it fourth.

Yes it's important to be aware of security risks. Regarding one of the described OS X bugs, the consequence is to not open files you don't trust. But anybody who has been around in the nineties knows this already

However I won't give precious CPU cycles to an antivirus program and a couple hundred megabytes of dear HDD space to non-OS X virus definitions.

Also, learning from Microsoft's past, to not use a standard OS X + Safari + Apple Mail combination might be just as effective. Oh and some reasonable firewall settings.

__________________
Need help on how to post in the forum? Try the Frequently Asked Questions.

Which hacker in their right mind is going to spend their time writing a virus that infects 2% of the world's computers when with the same effort they could write a virus that infects 97% of the world's computers?

many, because they can. a large part of hacking/cracking systems is proving it can be done (c;

2% of ALL computers. If you only look at home computers, the percentage is much higher. If you look at the edu market, the percentage is somewhere between 20 and 30% in some countries (including Switzerland).

The reason why Macs aren't targeted as frequently is different, IMO: most hackers aim their attacks at Microsoft, not at individual users (who end up being the butt of the joke, of course). Up until recently, Apple has been a decent company with a somewhat nice business policy. This has changed fundamentally - now they're the pit bull terrier of computer manufacturers and public discontent will soon have reached those back-alley basements where the viruses are written.

peter

Good points Peter, and no doubt in the graphics business the percentage is higher.

What do you mean exactly:-
I hope your thoughts are wrong, I find Dataquest in Zug as a Mac shop friendly and efficient. I do baulk at prices! But I have no other complaints about Apple machines or software.

Alpine works well on OS X, great Mail client. Camino and Firefox as browsers work well too, so no need to use the standard OS X/Safari/Mail - you're right.

I must confess I've become very complacent and very critical of ugly looking interfaces after my migration to Macs 5 years ago. I just don't have time for worrying what stinking malware might be lurking in my system or what's hogging system resources etc. Life's too short. Some things are just worth the money - like Macs http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10222335-1.html. And no, I don't want to fiddle with the system registry.

I'm afraid I've become a smug Mac user.

Then may I recommend this blog entry: There are no design leaders in the PC world
It's two years old and brief but still interesting and accurate, I think.

I meant Apple's recent business decisions (iPhone + AT&T, crippling products for marketing purposes, trying to squash any competitors, keeping their re-sellers on a very short leash, not providing them with new hardware for months while the latter is readily available in Apple Stores, harshly censoring their own user forums, killing rumor sites, fitting high-end "business" notebooks with consumer-grade screens while keeping the prices unchanged, grossly overpricing hardware in Europe over years, keeping their own iPhone programmer community on a very short leash, keeping any iPhone software from becoming legally available that could potentially be a competitor without ever telling the programmer the reason why, keeping their software tied to hardware although this is illegal in many countries, selling content off its online store at different prices throughout the EU (corrected by the EU's legal squad), claiming the music industry won't sell them DRM-free content while it's already available on Amazon.com (corrected through competition) and even lying about it in open letters etc. etc. etc.)

What I'm trying to say is: Apple is now worse in terms of its business policies than Microsoft ever was. Because Apple is still considered an "underdog" in the business, no government body has sued them yet. This is only a matter of time, though. If Apple were selling the same crappy OS as Microsoft, they'd be gone within a couple of years. Apple's only asset at this time is the OS, which is clearly superior to any other comparable product, if you ask me.

Peter

hi,

I agree pretty much with your sentiments, though really Apple is a hardware and marketing than a technology company which is what you expect when it is led by a salesman. You could have added the iTunes lock in, installation of software such as MobileMe clients and Safari on PCs without the agreement of the PC users when all they were doing was trying to keep up with the patches for iTunes and Quicktime. Also using bundling ( iLife) which reduces competition and using a monopoly position in one market --- mp3 players to gain unfair advantage in another market ( smartphones). Tieing the browser to the operating systems and not allowing competitors the ability to offer alternatives....on the iPhone.

Apple are just as bad if not worse than most of their competitors. Despite what some people may think Apple is never been the "cuddly" consumer focused company that people sometimes paint it as.

As someone said to me as soon as companies have shareholders who want a return on their investment...they all become "evil".

Have fun

Martin