Computer OS question

There's sort of a faulty logic to buying a mac because it won't get viruses. It is unlikely to get a virus because people don't bother writing viruses for a computer that doesn't have that many people using it comparatively.

So... What happens when someone decides that they want to write a virus for macs - because it does target a section of the population that are pretty smug about being safe from viruses while not actually taking much in the way of precautions against them.

Is your mac computer actually safe in that case? Anti-virus programs are actually pretty limited for macs... because.... noone worries about viruses for macs. So as the market share for macs goes up... A lot of people are pretty much going to be an open target.

I've been using computers, downloading files/music/or whatever off the internet and participating in all sorts of virus risky activities on the internet for years that I bet a lot of you guys don't... Yet, I've never ever had a virus. I've never gotten spyware, whatever. Because I make certain that my computer is protected with firewalls (both software & hardware), virus scanners, and anti-spyware software and I'm careful what I actually install downloaded stuff on before using it.

My pc is also upgradeable. I haven't "bought" a complete computer in... Okay, I've never bought a complete desktop & I've bought one laptop. I've always bought parts and either upgraded or built from scratch. This is where my comment about just using windows from one computer & putting it on the other. I've never had a problem doing that - whether it's a fresh installation or just popping the harddrive over. You may be legally required to call microsoft (but I never have). I know certain versions of windows have more protection against just taking it from one computer to the next - but I haven't run into it with XP.

But anyways, the point of that is - I can spend $500 on "IBM" parts and build a damned fast computer - and then if I want to put a couple hundred into it over the years - it'll keep up to date. Or you can spend $500-1000 on a nice put together computer (they've gotten cheap) and again, putting some money into it will upgrade it over the years ... Or you can spend $2k on a complete mac, and you're really not going to ever be able to just pop in a new processor or motherboard, so if you want to upgrade that computer to another mac, you can pay another 2k.


As for Vista - it's unstable, bloated, and buggy, you need to have a very fast computer to have it run well... And most people don't get enough benefit from vista to warrant the amount of resources it taxes. (some people do actually do stuff that vista does benefit them) I have a friend who bought a brand new computer with vista, the system crashed constantly... reinstalled vista... same issues. wiped it & installed xp... stable system.

I'm not going to claim to be a huge fan of xp, either... But it's relatively stable and definitely doesn't use as many resources as vista.

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Originally Posted by deeaimond

Which goes back to the problem with windows that I hate the most, hanging, and viruses. Personally I like a mac because if one program hangs I can just turn it off and not have to restart the whole thing.

D

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I actually think this is EASIER to do on a PC. Ctrl+alt+delete and I forget, I think you choose "system resources" or "system use" or something like that -- you can see not only everything that's running, but how much RAM it's using, so you can see if something is really eating up resources and shut it off. It also shows if any programs are hanging "not responding", and you can quit those as well. It's like a much better version of "Force Quit" on a Mac.

It's one of the things I miss about PCs, along with delete and backspace :D (for non-Mac users: "delete" on a Mac deletes backwards, like "backspace" on a PC. There is no forwards-deleting counterpart on a mac. It took me a good year to get used to it). Oh, and right clicking.

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(for non-Mac users: "delete" on a Mac deletes backwards, like "backspace" on a PC. There is no forwards-deleting counterpart on a mac. It took me a good year to get used to it). Oh, and right clicking.

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FYI: FN + Delete (function + Delete) is a forwards delete on a mac.

Control + click is a right click on a mac. I have the Apple Mighty Mouse and it has a right click (or you can use just a regular mouse).

I LOVE my Mac.

My favorite part of my MacBook is the two finger scrolling. LOVE IT.

Also, as far as force quit....I've never had any program on my Mac hang up the WHOLE system, even when I couldn't get a program to respond. On PCs (which I've been using since the '80s and trained other people to use in the '90s) that kind of sluggishness, where you can barely even get the cursor to move, is a regular occurrence.

Kare

Did you know that control and two finger scrolling is ZOOM? way cool

My .02? I work for CSC, at a division of UTC (our biggest customer), as the 'virus focal' and user account security. Also do field tech work, mostly virus related. Yea, I bought a vista laptop 'bout 1 1/2 years ago, home premium. Couldn't use it because it can't join my home domain network (yea I'm a geek with 3 servers at home) but I played with it for a bit. Yes, very different from XP. Took a little time to get familiar, but did not like it. Very slow. Why? The manufacturer loaded it up with craplets- lots of programs running in the systray. Took all the memory and hit the CPU. Most people just assume it's Vista that's slow. Vista itself needs more computer muscle, and more memory and drive space. It doesn't belong on a low end machine but lots of people get it on basic computers filled with craplets and blame Vista.

I ended up doubling the memory to 4 gigs, and as it's a gaming laptop with muscle, I bought Vista Ultimate 64 bit and am using that. No craplets, lots of memory, and setup the way I want. It is more stable than XP, has drivers that 64 bit XP lacks (yea I have that too), and can address more than 3.2 gigs of ram that 32bit XP can't. Also put it on my main quad core SLI gaming rig, and again 64bit. It blows away XP. I'm talking Ultimate 64, not the basic home stuff setup wrong by a manufacturer that loads it up with junk.

To sum it up, I hated Vista till I installed the 64 bit version and set it up properly.

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Originally Posted by Catriona

Is your mac computer actually safe in that case? Anti-virus programs are actually pretty limited for macs... because.... noone worries about viruses for macs. So as the market share for macs goes up... A lot of people are pretty much going to be an open target.

I've been using computers, downloading files/music/or whatever off the internet and participating in all sorts of virus risky activities on the internet for years that I bet a lot of you guys don't... Yet, I've never ever had a virus. I've never gotten spyware, whatever. Because I make certain that my computer is protected with firewalls (both software & hardware), virus scanners, and anti-spyware software and I'm careful what I actually install downloaded stuff on before using it.

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Yup Catriona, I do agree with you about the virus status, and that probably one day someone will think its worth their time to make a virus for mac users. I've been using my machine for 5 years without any antivirus software and I'm still OK so I guess one can get a little complacent about it.

I guess my perspective is more for the average user who does not want to bother with having to put up firewalls, virus scanners or anti-spyware software. Not everyone is so savvy or has the patience to sit around to figure it out. (If u're not so savvy in the first place you take a long time figuring it out)

So at the end of the day its really up to what your personal needs and concerns are. It might be easier to restart a windows machine alt+ctrl+del, but point is that I don't want to have to do it at all.

I like some of the new functions on Vista actually, and I use them at work, so its not like I'm some die-hard mac lover :D

Cheers,
D

I don't actually know myself, but one of the guys I ride with is a computer security expert, and what he says is that it's about half and half. Yes, less malware is written for Mac because of their smaller market share; but also the UNIX core really is much more secure.

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Originally Posted by liza

I actually think this is EASIER to do on a PC. Ctrl+alt+delete and I forget, I think you choose "system resources" or "system use" or something like that -- you can see not only everything that's running, but how much RAM it's using, so you can see if something is really eating up resources and shut it off. It also shows if any programs are hanging "not responding", and you can quit those as well. It's like a much better version of "Force Quit" on a Mac.

It's one of the things I miss about PCs, along with delete and backspace :D (for non-Mac users: "delete" on a Mac deletes backwards, like "backspace" on a PC. There is no forwards-deleting counterpart on a mac. It took me a good year to get used to it). Oh, and right clicking.

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Hi Liza,

I'm not sure what you mean by force quit being not as good as ctrl+alt+del, which if I'm not wrong, restarts your system. If you're using a mac, and your program hangs, go back to the desktop (as in make it the main screen) or go to another program that is running. click on the little apple in the top left corner and you can select 'force quit' it lists the programs running and you just click on the program you want to end. It also shows you if the program is not responding. It's easier to do this on the mac, because the whole machine doesn't just freeze. (I think someone else said something like this earlier)

cheers,
D

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Originally Posted by sandra

Did you know that control and two finger scrolling is ZOOM? way cool

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No! My eyes thank you!

Karen