It isn't too hard to see why there are more Windows based viruses than Mac.
Firstly there is OS uniformity. Most Windows boxes are configured in very very similar ways, be it WinXP, 2K, NT, 9x. The same is true for Mac OS X. There is, however, vast diversity in Linux based systems.
Secondly, is the cross-generation compatibility. I can run DOS software from my FIRST PC on my current computer natively. I don't need to set anything up or start a emulation layer or anything like that. I double click on the program and it runs... which means that viruses that have attacked MS based operating systems throughout the last twenty years can still be potentially damaging today. The compatibility is a double-edged sword.
Thirdly, is the dominance of Windows as the consumer operating system. It is by a vast margin, the most installed operating system (be it legal or pirated) on a personal computer. Many of the current worms, viruses and trojans out there are no longer simply created by a malicious nerd for glory. Rather, there is often a criminal intent (e.g., creating zombie networks for "hire-a-DDOS-attack" or exortion). Windows based PCs are the logical target. Even if someone could make a highly effective Mac OS X based worm, Macs are too far and between to spread effectively.
Fourthly, it doesn't help that earlier versions of Windows were relatively insecure.
You do have to take it into context though. Some of the security holes exploited by worms have been around for years and years before someone discovered a way to exploit it. If the world was dominated by Mac OS X or any SINGLE flavour of Linux for the last 10 years, it is likely there would be significant problems with viruses and the like as well. Now I fully agree that Mac OS X (and definitely Linux) is intrinsically more secure than Windows. However, don't underestimate the effect of security by obscurity.
@ OmegaSupreme: I run AVG but apart from things like Netsky that occasionally come my way by e-mail, I have never been hit with with a virus. I have never had a virus infect my computers.
I run Spybot now and then but the only things that it picks up are usually tracking cookies (which are on your Mac and Linux systems too!)
Simply, even Windows firewall will stop just about all worms and Windows firewall is crap. The rest of the stuff that infects Windows almost always come by the way of user stupidity (e.g., installing dodgy software or opening attachments on dodgy e-mails). It is perhaps a design flaw that Windows allows you to seriously screw up your computer easily, but it also makes it easy to use and convenient to use. It is a trade-of.
@ LordSmurf: Notepad is the lord of simple text editors! If it only understood Unix linefeeds/carriage returns it would be perfect.
Regards.
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Michael Tam
w: Morsels of Evidence
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Greetings,
I own both a PC and a Mac, both are older machines, an Athlon 1200Mhz and a Mac G4 400Mhz running OS 10.3. I upgraded the Mac G4 with a Radeon 8500 (big difference) and the Athlon 1200 box has an ATI AIW. The PC runs both Win XP and Mandrake Linux (which I prefer over Windows). I have been using both platforms since I owned both a Mac Plus and a 286 running Dos. It is a bit of a trade off between the two platforms between ease of use (Mac) and more options (PC), and it always has been.
I can find PC software that will do most every task that a Mac will do (but not the reverse, except at a signifigant expense), and it *may* even do it faster at equivalant cost in machine. But for me, that is not the point. It is about useability, the menus are where one would expect, and the options are exacly what is typically required. I believe that the Mac is more ergonomic, if I can apply that term to software. Given the choice, I always choose to use my Mac for nearly everything, it is just a more pleasant experience. BUT it is true that the video options on the Mac are often limited at the low-cost non-pro level, particularly if you like to create non-standard files.
Even though I prefer the Mac, I will always keep my PC for video work. There is nothing like Nero Recode or DVD Shrink for the Mac, and dvd::rip for Linux offers an astounding level of options for transcoding, and for making a VCD. And Tmpenc gives the best MPEG-1 output I have seen. I have tried the Mac options, but they are limited, and slow. Although my G4 is one-third slower than my Athlon (actually, comparing Mhz across processors, it is supposed to be much more than one-third as fast), video processing/transcoding is much more than 3X as fast on the PC. I can typically get 29fps transcoding speed for both MPEG-1 and MPEG-4 on my Athlon, my G4 takes a day. I have owned both Macs and PCs over the years, and slow hard disk read/write has always been a problem, although I accept that I can't quantify this beyond a subjective opinion.
My 2 cents,
adcvideo
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Originally Posted by elgemo
There are less than 10 exploits for OS X and you almost have to download and install them to get "infected"Keeper of the "Unofficial" iMovie FAQ also for the lastest iMovie news click here
Your source for iMovie answers and what not! ;-)
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a good article.
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/36120.html
"Macs Are More Expensive, Right?"
i do agree, though... use what works best for you.
sometimes it's fun to brew your own beer; other times it's nice to just buy a nice case that someone else produced. all depends on your free time, skill level & focus on what you want out of life.
dk
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Originally Posted by bazooka
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Hi All
So you can run 8-10 os's at once you should try to get a life first
then a girfriend .
On the previous topic someone gave link to g5 benckmarks
against pc's noticed that a lot of the mac stuff was optimsed for
the mac, 64 bit versions for 64 bit os x ? but some of these benchmarks
were not that much faster wait till windows 64 bit then run the tests
methinks your good old mac's will be gubbed again, Just a thought .
Rabg
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So much of this PC v Mac stuff is total guff. If you compare a power user whose building their own PC against a Mac, then I have no doubt that the PC would smoke all but the top-end G5 PowerMacs both in performance and cost. (Up against a name brand PC, though, like a Sony Viao or Alienware, and its a different story. They may be good, but they're more expensive than an Apple.) But back in the real world, plenty of us aren't building our own computers or playing Halo. Where I work, I have an older G4 PowerMac, and most of my colleagues have same-age PCs running Windows 2000. I sure know what I'd rather have. The PCs are total junk and Windows 2000 is just awful. I'm not an IT professional, but yesterday, I connected the only other two Macs in our department to my PM in a mini video-on-demand network streaming MPEG4s from on a Firewire HD in my office. It took no longer than walking from one office to another to get it going. Try that on my colleague's machines and how long would it take? I watch my colleagues trying to give presentations where they spend 10 or 15 minutes trying to get their crappy PC laptops to work with the data projector. I just plug my 12" PowerBook in and it configures automatically straight away.
Now, my colleagues aren't computer savvy, but that's the whole point. My PM and my PB just work - they're easy to use, reliable, don't crash and hassle free. So much of what they do I don't even know about because they just do it without me having to worry. In the office, I can get on with work, and at conferences I know I can plug in the PB and give a presentation without worrying about whether it will work.Go off and rule the universe from beyond the grave. Or check into a psycho ward, whichever comes first, eh?
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Originally Posted by DennisHagemann
I always wonder how many gold standard word processors, spreadsheet, presentation, or graphic applications one really needs. I, for one, am not going to spend $400@ just to have a variety of apps to choose from. What's the point? So who cares if there are hundreds more programs for PC vs Mac? Find one you like and learn it well.
Apple provides the spark of innovation to a market that would otherwise bog down in the morass of the status quo.Merlin Macuser
Ann Arbor, MI
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My .02:
It comes down to two things - control and money. Macs are nowhere near as customizable when you order them, even through the Apple store. And depending on what type of MAC you're buying, expansion down the road is limited as well. Contrast this to the PC world where I can customize and upgrade components at will.
Macs by nature also cost more. I can build a bigger, better, faster PC for less $$$.
If Macs were targeted as much as PC's - viruses and malware would be issues.
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Originally Posted by mhar4
Mac vs PC ??? No. Not even close. Merely Idiots vs Non-IdiotsWant my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
FAQs: Best Blank Discs • Best TBCs • Best VCRs for capture • Restore VHS
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Originally Posted by decay
Its all preference. Use what you like. Mac advocates will say ohh look at the pc's with plastic case, cheap optical drives, and motherboards that are looser than the next door neighbor that are cheap but work. PC advocates say ohh look at all that unnecessarily expensive aluminum casing with expensive water cooling, i can build something myself just as good for way less.
Go right ahead.
Ill take the mac with aluminum casing, water cooled processor and the $$ one button opitcal mouse please
[how much longer can this go on?]
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Today in my Spanish class we had to do presentations. Everyone showed up and looked at the computer and discovered it was a MAC!!! Gasp!!!
That room hardly ever has the computer used, so it is the home of an older G4 Tower running OS 9.
You would have thought the menus were written in Klingon. People did not understand it at all, or why it didn't have a floppy. So I was put in charge of helping people use the computer.
Man oh man. People should take the time to learn both platforms. People get set in their ways and if one thing is out of space they freak. One person asked me where the start button was. D'Oh!!
I always thought the whole Mac / PC war was dumb. People should use what ever they want. If I use a mac, fine. If you use a PC, fine. I do not need to force you to switch. You do not need to force me to switch. We both know it's not gonna happen, so why waste the time? We should both be happy we have a computer. I do; however, think we both should have tried both sides. So many people make up their minds about something before they try it.
"I hate Macs!"
You ever tried one?
"No, But I saw one in a commercial!"
Blah.
</rant>
PCs are great, it's Windoes that brings it down.
I joke, I joke. Windows is great. It's really very great............................................. ....FOR ME TO POOP ON!
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Its just like my field.
Chiropractic.
Most people think a chiropractor can only help with low back pain and as such if they dont have "back pain" then they dont think they need a chirorpactor.
Only when they then experience what it has to offer does the wool get pulled from over their eyes.
My best was a patient who came in while I was in student clinic and told me that ther MD told them a chirorpactor would break thier neck and not to let them TOUCH your neck - so this person came in instisting we were going to break thier neck.
I told them next time they go to thier MD, not to let them perscribe any medicine, because their doctor is not going to diagnose thier problem properly and they will take meds they dont need!
HA
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Originally Posted by lordsmurf
It isn't that Joe Consumer is not smart enough to RTFM and do the same tasks on a PC as well as on a Mac, but the question is why should he have to, and why is that preferable? Or why is it preferable for anyone?
A more complex OS does not always equal a better platform, often it means poor ergonomics and design, and a requirement of greater effort on the part of the consumer that would be *unnecessary* in a better product.
BUT more complexity of use is often preferable if it = more choice and options. Unfortunately, at this moment, for video work on the PC there are many more options for tweaking output. There still isn't an AIW product for the Mac, and until recently ATIs USB video capture didn't even work under OS X (they have farmed this out to another company, EyeTV). I don't know of any other reasonably priced OS X USB video capture products that haven't been discontinued. Anyone?
Cheers
adcvideo
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Originally Posted by DanSlagle
Every virus I've received on Mac systems (in e-mail attachments) has been deleted or remained "quarantined" there so I haven't seen a need for anti-virus software, for anyone's sake. If I were retransmitting possibly infected files then I'd feel some responsibility to attempt stopping that.
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Firstly, with the "my Mac will run more OSs than PC argument", that is absolutely silly.
Virtual PC software work on all platforms. Arguably, the best virtualisation software is on Linux and the best (most stable, up-to-date, most options) versions of Linux are not for the Mac.
And the simple fact of the matter is that a Windows PC does not need to "emulate" an older one to run past versions of Windows software or DOS software. It just works. This is opposed to MacOS classic or Apple II software.
If you want to run a Unix based program under Windows, then you can either use a virtual PC program or run a Windows compiled version of an X server. Not clean but possible. If you really needed that program, you could just boot Linux natively.
Laptops and projects? It is almost always a matter of RTFM and user error. This almost works for every laptop or notebood. Plug in projector into laptop (both off). Turn on projector and wait for it to warm up and go into standby. Turn on the laptor/notebook. EASY.
As to the person on why "PC" people are going into the "Mac" forum... look at the "locked" post. You guys asked us to come! Also, the "Mac" video forum is the de facto forum for all things Mac related.
@ galactica: Let's make an agreement. You will never go see a doctor and I will never go see a chiropracter.
Why does some of what you guys work? Physiotherapy. Placebo effect. A degree of cognitive behavioural therapy.
Is there a place for chiropractors? For some patients, of course.
Do I think that some of the stuff chiropractors do is dangerous? Yes. Maybe some of your bad press comes from "rogue" practitioners but encouraging people away from proven standard therapies (e.g., for things like asthma) is bad. Also, posterior circulation (vertebro-basilar) strokes and cervical arterial dissection are more common after neck manipulations. Rare? Yes. But if I performed anything that could potentially cause a stroke I would need to counsel the patient and get informed consent beforehand.
Regards.Michael Tam
w: Morsels of Evidence
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Placebo I find it hard to believe that our profession could be around as long as it has only because of a "placebo" effect
Do you have any research or data to substantiate your claim?
For those interested: According the 2004 Conditions manual, VBI has the following statistics listed after its diagnostic code:
33 deaths have been reported in English literature [this includes all rearch that has been written in "english" from 1934-1992 [58 years]
of those 36% were reported to be chiropractors, while 24% of those were medical doctors attempting to do adjustmnets
Chance of serious medical complications from cervical manipulation? - 0.00002% Bascialy a 300% better chance of getting stuck by lightning and dying.
There are more but I am running short on time
Likewise, in US, Joarns vs Ross California Supreme Cort ruled the chance of serious complications following cervical maniuplation by a liscensed chiropractor was so rare that leagaly you are not required to inform your patient of the risk
but vitalis I still disagree with you, there are times I need to go to a MD so to say i will "never" just seems too harsh of a statement for me
but to each is own. I dont want this to "hijack" this post as it is a mac vs pc argument. and my initial statement was to each is own, just as there are those who say ill never go to a chirorpactor, ill never use a PC
[thanks for validating my mac vs pc argument vitalis )
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This whole "PCs have so many more options on software and hardware etc." reminds me of a time I went fishing with 2 buddies. I needed a knife to cut a line in a hurry and one guy had this big Swiss Army Knife (the one with the tweezers, toothpick, cork opener, etc.), by the time he found the scissors, my other friend had already cut me loose with his "inferior" single blade knife,which was easier to use and got the job done faster.
I consider my Mac to be a specialized tool. I have it set up for Graphic Design with Photoshop, illustrator, inDesign, Freehand, Flash. I also have secondary software that allows me to do video editing and DVD authoring. I have tertiary software for connecting to the internet, paying bills, managing photos, music, etc. I don't need anymore than that. if i want to play games, my Playstation2 does great.
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http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/1565.html
Microsoft's AntiSpyware hit by a Spyware
A Trojan has hit Microsoft's AntiSpyware (Beta), which disables it, and steals banking details login Ids and passwords.
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What is the point of this really?
Some people use PC's some use macs, does it really make a frigging difference to anyone really?
Anytime a topic like this is started you just know it will end up in a flame session.
I work in the print industry and use both platforms on a day to day basis and both have their faults!
I have a mac at home because I prefer the os BUT I can accept that other users like windows/linux etc its a shame more people don't then we wouldn't have all these pointless posts berating each others choice of platform.
I think its good that we have a choice of hardware/software, if you want to build your own PC for X amount great! If you want to spend 3 grand on a mac fine, but for the love of god stop all these my PC has so much more (insert whatever) my mac has (insert whatever) and maybe get back to the main purpose of these forums which is to share knowledge and help each other out!
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Originally Posted by arnisandyzWant my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
FAQs: Best Blank Discs • Best TBCs • Best VCRs for capture • Restore VHS
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