John.B
macrumors 601
😕
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Google Switches Away from Windows (Mostly to Mac) Due to Security Concerns
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Apple makes Windows software including iTunes, QuickTime, Safari, and the MobileMe control panel for Windows.
miles01110
macrumors Core
If they switched, why the follow up statement below:
Saying "NASA switched to OS X for testing" is ambiguous anyway. "Testing" what? Most of their physics and engineering testing is done at JPL which is a Linux/Windows facility, as are most other large scientific laboratories like BNL, SLAC, Fermilab, CERN, and Argonne.
Er, no. Windows is completely dominant in the government infrastructure arena. Outside the Macs the Army is phasing in you're not going to see many.
Here's just one example: State Department moves from telegrams to wikis:
John.B
macrumors 601
Sorry to pick nits, but...
MacOS, in comparison, is an operating system built in no small part from the underpinnings of the BSD kernel (which is a UNIX derivative).
Linux, by definition, isn't a UNIX variant. It's a UNIX-like OS (e.g. it works like UNIX but with an entirely rewritten code base). This was originally done so PC users didn't have to pay extortionate UNIX licensing fees.
MacOS, in comparison, is an operating system built in no small part from the underpinnings of the BSD kernel (which is a UNIX derivative).
Arguing over browsers.....
It is not that easy to just not use IE.
1. The whole windows explorer (looking at your folders) is now built around IE, if you try to un-install IE you end up trashing the OS. Been that way since the earlier service packs of XP. I think even the initial release of XP started to work that way.
2. Unfortunately (and I am forced to use Windows at work, while our ops dept who do not access clients use OS X - they track our usage and do not have a way to track on non-windows) we have built our infrastructure around SQL server. Using the reporting options does not always work correctly when not in IE. I mostly use firefox, but there are somethings I have to fire up IE to get a report to display correctly. If you use Visual Studio, SQL server - your going to have to use IE at some point. In fact we do not support running anything SQL on non-IE browsers.
I don't like IE myself - it always crashes on null subscript errors and launches visual studio to debug. problem is it is not our software, I had this happen on many websites also. Plus IE 7 on win 7, I have had it lock up when trying to past a link URL while it is trying to load my default homepage. I usually have to wait for it to finish loading (which is slower than firefox) before I can paste the URL I want to go to.
Windows has other vulnarbilities and you do not even need to be in IE. More than once we setup a PC, and while setting the firewall on it - caught a virus like Sasser. That evil thing just looks for a pingable IP to install on. Does not matter if IE is open, and that is the way most viruses work. the other problem, some virus detection software requires internet access to download or update the .dat files (what is usually shipped in a box solution is usually out of date). We have caught viruses or malware while updating the dat files. again - alot of viruses just look for any open pingable ip, and once infected into a company network - it does not take long to spread.
It is not that easy to just not use IE.
1. The whole windows explorer (looking at your folders) is now built around IE, if you try to un-install IE you end up trashing the OS. Been that way since the earlier service packs of XP. I think even the initial release of XP started to work that way.
2. Unfortunately (and I am forced to use Windows at work, while our ops dept who do not access clients use OS X - they track our usage and do not have a way to track on non-windows) we have built our infrastructure around SQL server. Using the reporting options does not always work correctly when not in IE. I mostly use firefox, but there are somethings I have to fire up IE to get a report to display correctly. If you use Visual Studio, SQL server - your going to have to use IE at some point. In fact we do not support running anything SQL on non-IE browsers.
I don't like IE myself - it always crashes on null subscript errors and launches visual studio to debug. problem is it is not our software, I had this happen on many websites also. Plus IE 7 on win 7, I have had it lock up when trying to past a link URL while it is trying to load my default homepage. I usually have to wait for it to finish loading (which is slower than firefox) before I can paste the URL I want to go to.
Windows has other vulnarbilities and you do not even need to be in IE. More than once we setup a PC, and while setting the firewall on it - caught a virus like Sasser. That evil thing just looks for a pingable IP to install on. Does not matter if IE is open, and that is the way most viruses work. the other problem, some virus detection software requires internet access to download or update the .dat files (what is usually shipped in a box solution is usually out of date). We have caught viruses or malware while updating the dat files. again - alot of viruses just look for any open pingable ip, and once infected into a company network - it does not take long to spread.
John.B
macrumors 601
I read on Teh Intarwebz that using an embiggened font makes your argument more persuasive. Huh, I guess it's true... 😛
Not necessarily.
I've seen this twice with my home PCs, just prior to switching over to Macs. My son, playing online Flash games, with no Administrator rights, managed to go to sites that were able to install rootkits merely by taking advantages of OS vulnerabilities (IMO, these were Flash->Windows vulnerabilities but it could as easily be insecurities with Adobe Reader or in IE itself).
Our PC support group at work sees this same thing a few times per week. Users with no admin rights to a Windows desktop or laptop manage to get a rootkit virus and have to have their machines reimaged to the base Windows OS deployment image.
Maybe that embiggened font thing doesn't work all the time... 😉
Google actually employ over 20,000 people, not 10,000. Supposedly about half the employees use Linux already, and the remaining half are divided between Mac OS and Windows. (Sourced from Wikipedia)
From other articles about this, the choice is a Mac or a PC running Linux, not a Mac running Linux. Also for those wondering about what version of Linux they use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goobuntu
From other articles about this, the choice is a Mac or a PC running Linux, not a Mac running Linux. Also for those wondering about what version of Linux they use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goobuntu
John.B
macrumors 601
TMar
macrumors 68000
It said they were switching to OSx, doesn't mean they went with Apple. They might have gotten ahold of the Pystar folks..
HLdan
macrumors 603
What was the point of your post? Are you suggesting that I just made up this whole thing about NASA? Yes, I should've made myself completely clear about NASA "switching" since people on this forum think they are so perfect that everyone else has to be perfect as well. Remember something, we don't get paid on MR for giving you all the facts, if you want ALL the facts Google them yourself instead of questioning everything I'm saying word for word and demanding that I explain myself. It's old news and I tried searching for the information so I could post a link but I failed at finding anything. Silly me, I thought some of the enthusiasts on this forum would've heard of this by now 🙄. This info was also on Apple's website as NASA had a whole dedicated page as to why they started using Mac OS X instead of Windows for testing.
Rodimus Prime
macrumors G4
The head line news part for a virus is no longer a real motivation factor. Instead it is about more figuring out how to get money or some other type of personal gain.
Well for personal gain like making Zombia computers or stealing money it is all about the numbers you can infect. The Average mac user I am going to put in a slightly more computer literate in knowing what not to install and are more careful on the net.
This means making the user stupidity is weaker so can not get around that huge hole. Google switch is more about linux which allows them to be much more custom. This at most will just paint a larger target on OSX.
nefan65
macrumors 65816
I agree. I don't argue that a number of viruses written are due to the fact that more folks own Windows boxes, and since a large quantity of those are consumer based, they're easier to attack. But I can't believe that someone out there isn't/hasn't thought how cool it would be to exploit OSX, and make a name for themselves.
NO OS is void of holes, or potential exploits. But let's face it...Windows is flawed, and more easily compromised than it's UNIX/LINUX counterparts.
If you are willing to cite an example other than "my son managed to install a rootkit with no admin rights" (like an actual article maybe describing this), that would be nice. Remember, if someone has execute rights, thats the pretty much same thing as admin btw.
99% of all windows rootkits, are user error.
The statement however, that rootkits don't have to get root, is flat out wrong.
Max(IT)
Suspended
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_adoption
Wikipedia of course isn't the be all/end all of info, but that's a good head start. I know Ernie Ball/Music Man isn't a big company, but they threw out MS awhile ago. It was largely out of spite, however.
http://news.cnet.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html
If better audio/video/photo software was available on Linux, I'd be more than likely running that instead of OS X. Ubuntu 10.04 is especially good.
cumanzor
macrumors 6502
Apple waves the "open standards" flag for publicity too and for their own convenience too. 😉
he's referring to the military. a number of the military bases starting using macs not too long ago for better security. there's a mr article somewhere. look it up -
Maximara
macrumors 68000
In other words Google figured out what the Gartner group has been telling everybody for close on for 15 years. 😱 Sheesh.
Amazing Iceman
macrumors 603
True, But Sad...
I also fully understand Google for their decision... I could easily relate to them.
I was a fulltime Windows user until October 2007, when I got my first MAC (I refused to run Vista!).
I have used Windows since it was used as a runtime for Aldus PageMaker.
I do miss the gadgets now available for it, such as 3D glasses, Fingerprint reader, Force-Feedback controller, wider range of available applications, etc.
But I don't miss all the problems I had with Windows viruses and attacks on my own computers, despite all the efforts to keep them protected.
I have to admit that if it wasn't for these, I would be unemployed by now.
I would use either Mac or Linux. I use Mac mainly to run certain software I must run, that are not native to Linux yet.
If Windows becomes more reliable, I may run it again. But so far, not even Windows 7 is good enough. Several of my clients run it on new PCs, and still have the same old nuisances as before. And all that nice 'integration' makes the viruses spread even faster, and instead of having one PC down, a whole network goes down!
I also fully understand Google for their decision... I could easily relate to them.
I was a fulltime Windows user until October 2007, when I got my first MAC (I refused to run Vista!).
I have used Windows since it was used as a runtime for Aldus PageMaker.
I do miss the gadgets now available for it, such as 3D glasses, Fingerprint reader, Force-Feedback controller, wider range of available applications, etc.
But I don't miss all the problems I had with Windows viruses and attacks on my own computers, despite all the efforts to keep them protected.
I have to admit that if it wasn't for these, I would be unemployed by now.
I would use either Mac or Linux. I use Mac mainly to run certain software I must run, that are not native to Linux yet.
If Windows becomes more reliable, I may run it again. But so far, not even Windows 7 is good enough. Several of my clients run it on new PCs, and still have the same old nuisances as before. And all that nice 'integration' makes the viruses spread even faster, and instead of having one PC down, a whole network goes down!
Maybe not getting along according to the press and rumor mills but none of us knows what goes on behind closed doors.
KnightWRX
macrumors Pentium
Sorry to pick nits, but...
MacOS X, is an operating system built in no small part from the underpinnings of the Mach Kernel, with 4.3BSD components and is known as XNU (XNU is not Unix). Much of the userland tools are GNU (GNU is not Unix) and not BSD (of course, the even the BSD variants these days use GNU userlands because GNU userland tools are that good).
Mach was built at Carnegie Mellon University, not Berkeley. It is not BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution).
OS X is actually very much a new version NeXTSTEP/OpenSTEP, which used the same underpinnings. It is not a derivative of FreeBSD like so many like to claim.
OS X is however certified as Unix '03, but only versions 10.5 and 10.6 running on Intel-based Macintoshes :
http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/xy.htm
Notice you will never find Linux anywhere in any of the Unix standards. Linux is not Unix.
whooleytoo
macrumors 604
😛
Imagine that, that would really set the cat among the pigeons. Talk about taking Apple on in their backyard.
Don't think it's very likely though, would surely be a quick lawsuit and win for Apple.
(p.s. and sorry for the mixed metaphors) 😛
