For all that typing in the dark you do :wink:
Very good write up. It makes sense. It really comes down to a matter of preference over performance.
Mac vs. PC
- Thread starter ketchupnmustard
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For all that typing in the dark you do :wink:
Very good write up. It makes sense. It really comes down to a matter of preference over performance.
H
HGPuck
Guest
Part of the reports lately are due to the security vendors themselves trying to exploit weaknesses in the Mac OS. Almost all of the reported flaws recently aren't actually possible and are only proof of concept. The OS is succeptable to attacks as some degree but it's far harder to spread on the Macs and the way an app has to be authorized before doing damage greatly diminishes the threats as well. There is still no known spreadable virus/trojan for the Mac. That will change but it's proven to be very difficult to propogate and it's far easier to contain once known about.
Here's a good reasonto buy into the "more secure" hype- It is. Sure, in the FUTURE it may be targeted more, but currently, and for the last how many years, it has been more secure. I've owned a mac for 7 yrs. That's 7 yrs of NOT continually updating virus protection and spyware. In general (I have no numbers to back this up) I feel like I have recouped my initial costs in lack of maintenance and supplemental software. When you buy a mac, you are paying for quality. The design is fantastic.
I do use a pc at work- I have to, as AutoDesk does not currently write software for Mac operating systems. I don't mind the PC's- actually kind of like them. Then again, we have a full time IT staff keeping it running.
I do use a pc at work- I have to, as AutoDesk does not currently write software for Mac operating systems. I don't mind the PC's- actually kind of like them. Then again, we have a full time IT staff keeping it running.
Mac's security advantage is directly related to its relative obscurity. As it gains popularity, hackers will increasingly target Mac platforms. It's only a matter of time, folks, so I wouldn't believe the hype about Macs being "more secure".
Other than that, Macs are probably fine if you don't want to play high end games or run other Windows specific applications and don't mind paying a little more money. Personally, I hate the Apple marketing machine, so you'll never see me paying for it.
The security advantage because of less use is only partially true. Apparently OSX is more difficult to hack, although I agree that it has not been completely tested.
Also, you can run high end PC games on a Mac by booting XP or Vista natively (via bootcamp). As Jeremy said they just showed that Macs actually run Vista better than any tested PC....pretty crazy stuff.
For me, I love having a Mac (I have an iMac at work and am anxiously awaiting my Macbook!!!) because the ease of use for personal stuff (web, email, word, excel (not too serious stuff)), and because if I need to run something that doesn't work on a Mac I can just pop open a virtual machine (a window in the mac operating system that looks like Windows) and do it there, or reboot and boot XP natively, just as you would on any Dell, HP, or whatever PC.
That whole runs Vista faster thing may not be entirely true, but interesting nonetheless. It was the fastest they tested.
MacBook Pro really was PC World's fastest tested laptop... until the Phantom-X - Engadget
MacBook Pro really was PC World's fastest tested laptop... until the Phantom-X - Engadget
I'll throw in my .02, having messed with both for the better part of 2 decades.
The Mac used to be far-and-away the better choice for "graphic design" stuff, and publishing-type-work.
The PC used to be the best for "office-type" things.
Today, they are pretty much identical. The only real reason to go to a mac is the hardware. The build quality is much better than most PCs. They also tend to have better performance. Leopard is just a nice fringe benefit.
If you aren't interested in style, I usually recommend just going for the cheapest PC you can find, since it will be more than adequate for 99.9% of everything you want to do, unless you're a hardcore gamer, or have money to burn.
Use Firefox instead of IE, and, if you don't use just webmail (gmail, yahoo etc), use something like Thunderbird.
Macs are nice, but you're paying a premium for the color of the case, most of the time.
The Mac used to be far-and-away the better choice for "graphic design" stuff, and publishing-type-work.
The PC used to be the best for "office-type" things.
Today, they are pretty much identical. The only real reason to go to a mac is the hardware. The build quality is much better than most PCs. They also tend to have better performance. Leopard is just a nice fringe benefit.
If you aren't interested in style, I usually recommend just going for the cheapest PC you can find, since it will be more than adequate for 99.9% of everything you want to do, unless you're a hardcore gamer, or have money to burn.
Use Firefox instead of IE, and, if you don't use just webmail (gmail, yahoo etc), use something like Thunderbird.
Macs are nice, but you're paying a premium for the color of the case, most of the time.
It's somewhat true and somewhat not. Like you said, it was with what they tested. Personally I've noticed it runs better on my MacBook Pro then the ASUS FS3V I just had and sold that had pretty much the exact same specs. The only difference in hardware was the size (not speed) of the hard drive and the fingerprint reader. The MBP was noticeably faster by about 10-15% in my testing.
No, it really isn't more secure. If you think it is, you're just deluding yourself. Viruses will pop up for Macs, and when they do, they will likely be far more invasive, harder to detect, and nastier than PC viruses, IMO. It's like saying that linux is more secure than Windows. Sure it CAN be more secure than Windows, but there are thousands of bugs and exploits discovered for most linux distributions every year. The same is, and will be, true for Macs. The difference between the two platforms is scope of use. There are probably 1000 PCs for every Mac in the world. And 10000 PCs running windows for every PC running linux. It makes the most sense for "botnet" guys to target the most vulnerable systems.
Now, add to that, in the past Macs ran on the Power architecture, which was not machine code compatable with the x86 architecture. Buffer overflows would have to be written for both architectures, as a buffer overflow exploit could not execute it's payload on a non-x86 platform unless it was targeted as such. Even if a vulnerability was found for a Power architecture mac, it would have to be executed differently than a PC exploit for the same type vulnerability (say an IP stack buffer overflow or something of that nature).
With intel-based Macs, this is no longer a problem. An exploit can now execute identically on mac hardware and PC hardware. It's just a matter of time before a cross-platform virus shows up.
I run all my PCs without virus or spyware protection, and I've had 0 problems over the last 3 or 4 years. Literally. Just don't do stupid things with your computer and you'll be fine.
I do have a tendency to do "stupid things" with my computer. Both at work (PC) and personal (Mac). I get problems at work, that I need my IT staff to fix. I have never had any professional help w/ the Mac I currently have (3yrs old).
Must be a coincidence.
Must be a coincidence.
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My experience on my pc over the last month would certainly make me look at a mac more closely. Since there are so many computer brains on this thread - heres one for you.
Any idea why a PC would suddenly 1) not be able to run task manager 2) WMP can't play anything no matter what it is 3) McAfee can't be removed in order to reinstall and in the meantime claims to not be working 4) the latest windows update wont finish installing...
To say that PCs are throwaway isnt far off. If I have to take this in to fix and it costs me more than about 75 bucks I'm better off saving it to put down on a new PC... :sad:
Any idea why a PC would suddenly 1) not be able to run task manager 2) WMP can't play anything no matter what it is 3) McAfee can't be removed in order to reinstall and in the meantime claims to not be working 4) the latest windows update wont finish installing...
To say that PCs are throwaway isnt far off. If I have to take this in to fix and it costs me more than about 75 bucks I'm better off saving it to put down on a new PC... :sad:
According to whom?
There's really not much money in it for hackers right now. As Macs gain marketshare, it might become more lucrative for spyware programmers to start cracking that OS. Saying it's more secure because it's coded different is really pretty meaningless. Hackers have this really irritating record of hacking the "unhackable".
I was a life long PC user until I bought a mac last year. I probably will never go back. Macs are extremely easy & intuitive to use and aestetically pleasing. Many people dislike macs because they are unfamilar with the system, but the programs and OS are awesome and always ahead of the curve. If you think about it, the people who designed the hardware for mac are the same people who are designing the software. Therefore, they know specifically what users want and how to make the best fitting programs. Because of this, mac programs and computers rarely have problems and the designers can spend more time designing and innovating instead of spending time fixing problems and play catch up. PC's have tons of different hardware makers and tons of different software makers and therefore there is lots of room for errors and microsoft spends all of its time playing doctor. Because of this, they can't spend as much time doing creative research and development. If you look at window's "new" operating system, it is basically a knock off of Mac's last OS.
McAfee is your problem. I'm assuming you use Security Center. I used to like McAfee products - my brother-in-law's computer was riddled with all kinds of viruses due to his friends playing with LimeWire and similar apps on his computer without an antivirus program on his computer. Installing and running the previous version of McAfee Security Center cleaned the problem up. It was a great program. Emphasis on was. McAfee designed their new Security Center to be hostile to ANY other antivirus, anti-spam, anti-spyware program out there that if you have any other security program on your computer besides the new McAfee Security Center it would cause you a world of hurt (it literally locked my computer down and I could not access the internet). What's worse is if you call tech support, they charge you an arm and a leg to try and figure out the problem, only a couple of hours (and a couple hundred dollars) later for them to tell you that there's obviously another security program on your system, and the new Security Center is not compatible with any other security programs, and you have to hunt through your system to get rid of the other programs. I took the easier route - I took McAfee off my system and demanded a refund for both the product I bought and for that worthless tech support call.
I run both OS X and XP on my iMac at work. It runs great, no complaints what so ever! I'm a mac guy and will never change. I have a MacBook and I freaking love it!
I will have to thank MSN for giving me McAfee for free then. I was actually talking to qwest/msn tech support, who instructed me to uninstall it and try again but I got cut off before I could tell them that the dang software refuses to leave! I may have to hire a priest to exorcise McAfee...
Here are a couple of things to try out to get McAfee off your system:
McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool
Removing incompatible third party applications
Also, when you are looking for an AV program - AVG is pretty good and I use it on my PC.
Still think it slows down my performance too much - but that's part of the PC donwside.
Still think it slows down my performance too much - but that's part of the PC donwside.
