Just felt like ranting

[digital1]

Hello all. Just felt like saying something. Havent had the chance to post here in a while. Been so busy with college CS classes and everything. Anywho, I just felt the need to vent some frusterations of being a computer user minority. I work in the Computer security field at a Fortune 500 company. So I pretty much am very comfy with computers. I like em all of tastes and flavors; I am pretty open. Macs were pretty much the first computers I used, and I have used them alongside windows growing up. Although Windows goes to the very bottom of my list, as in my work I find the most security flaws. Anyways, I work with a windows and BSD lover. When I start talking about Macs, they get so picky! The windows guy isnt as picky as the BSD guy. Man he is so picky. LOL We went back and forth and he was trying to convince me of how little my geekiness level was for liking Macs. I occassionally get the little comments here and there. Its so funny too, cause I dont have a Mac yet,(Money and college take that away) Soon though in the next 2-3 months I will be indulging in Mac happiness. I just felt like talking to Mac guys who care and go through the same stuff. We have to support one another! ROK! Share your life experiences of being a Mac user! a Mac support group Lets get this rolling!

 

[Lanbrown]

Do you know why some people love windows? Its called job security. The more holes windows has, the more work they have to do and thus, the job is more secure. I on the other hand, hate windows because of all the additional work I must do for network security at the router and fw level. If someone thinks that windows is the greatest, fine with me. Everyone is entitles to their opinion and I do not try to change it.

 

[aphexist]

If someone is trying to convince you that your geekiness level is low, then do not argue with them...unless you are a complete geek, then throw abandon to the wind!

 

[digital1]

good advice

 

[legion]

You work in a Fortune 500 company's computer security department (IT) and you're still taking CS classes in college???

Either you lucked out (and congratulations then!) or your company is a real mess...

 

[Makosuke]

This thread doesn't belong in Hardware, but that said...

I find it hilarious to hear that a BSD lover would be attacking a Mac user, being that the MacOS IS BSD now... in fact, the largest installed UNIX base on the planet. That's like a Corvette fan insulting the gearheadedness of another Corvette fan because his car is the wrong color.

Personally, I get a share of baseless jabs at my platform of choice on occasion, but at least with the more knowledgable people I find that pointing out that I use the easiest to use *nix shell on the planet to be more than enough to shut them up. It's like the Geekiest of Geek OSes with a candy-coated, user friendly GUI hiding all that furious power so even the layman can use it. And we can run Office and lots of games if we really feel like it.

In the end, as annoying as it is to have people take every chance to insult my choice of OS (even when I manage to resist insulting theirs), I think the best comeback is to just ask them what they do with their computer. I have yet to talk to somebody who does half of what I somehow manage do with my "useless" Mac, and that shames them enough to shut them up.

 

[digital1]

Originally posted by digital1
good advice

Yes I have been with the company since I was 16, and just moved on up in different depts. I am basically a junior after this semester, and have been interning in the dept. for about a year anyways if that makes you feel any better, but thanks for the congrats.

 

[tomf87]

Originally posted by Lanbrown
...I on the other hand, hate windows because of all the additional work I must do for network security at the router and fw level...

Well, even with our Mac's in the office, I still setup ACL's on the routers and have redundant firewalls in place. All it takes is one person to find a hole, find that you have it (which is pretty easy if you're open), and you've got a total mess on your hands, including legal problems that could arise if your computers are used to attack someone else.

At any rate, I keep all my systems behind as much security as possible. It's the only way to go.

 

[digital1]

I like the way you think

 

[Lanbrown]

Originally posted by tomf87
Well, even with our Mac's in the office, I still setup ACL's on the routers and have redundant firewalls in place. All it takes is one person to find a hole, find that you have it (which is pretty easy if you're open), and you've got a total mess on your hands, including legal problems that could arise if your computers are used to attack someone else.

At any rate, I keep all my systems behind as much security as possible. It's the only way to go.

Look at how many ports MS uses and the only systems that look for them are:
A. Windows machines
B. A machine running software like SAMBA.
Some ports never have to be filtered because they are platform specific and if you do not have that platform, they are not needed. Next is that all the (MS) ports also allows the worms to spread and you can't block those ports in a LAN/MAN/WAN environment with affecting how the machines interact for legitimate purposes.

Look at how many places the same ports need to be blocked, 135-139, 445, 593, 1433, 1434 and 4444.