Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

scan

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 24, 2005
344
0
If I were to explain the advantages between WindowsXP and OSX, where I can I get some technical information that'll explain the benefits of OSX and the security?
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
scan said:
If I were to explain the advantages between WindowsXP and OSX, where I can I get some technical information that'll explain the benefits of OSX and the security?
what security?

Nah, just playing.

Word of caution though, OS X is almost as vulnerable as XP is - don't let anyone lure you into having a false sense of security. Just because something doesn't exist yet (like viruses for OS X), doesn't mean it never will. And user stupidity and ignorance you really can't forget.
 

zap2

macrumors 604
Mar 8, 2005
7,252
8
Washington D.C
janey said:
OS X is almost as vulnerable as XP is


no, not by a long shot, sure OSX does have hole that People could take advantage of but Xp!!! DO you know hom many virues there are? How many People want even download App on XP becuz "virues come with theM"

Thats not how the computer world should work!! IT WRONG
 

reberto

macrumors 65816
Jul 20, 2005
1,224
0
There are very few viruses for Mac OS. The only one that I can remember is the one that was on a Macaddict disc. If you want to play games, go XP. If you want a REAL :)p ) OS, go with OS X
 

DavidLeblond

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2004
2,323
600
Raleigh, NC
How is OS X almost as vulnerable as Windows XP? You don't have to be a "stupid user" to get a virus in Windows XP, you simply need to have your computer plugged into the internet. And the fact that you "need" to buy a virus scanner to run XP and have half your CPU processes dedicated to fighting them is inane.
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
zap2 said:
no, not by a long shot, sure OSX does have hole that People could take advantage of but Xp!!! DO you know hom many virues there are? How many People want even download App on XP becuz "virues come with theM"

Thats not how the computer world should work!! IT WRONG
Hey, people are merely taking advantage of the fact that the average computer user is ignorant about computer security. I don't particularly care for people who bring it upon themselves by being careless or stupid ("okay, isn't it clear that NO MATTER WHAT THE FILE NAME IS, if it ends in .exe or .com, you shouldn't open it even if it was called IMG0293?! IMG0293.exe IS NOT AN IMAGE!!!" and others)
And unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people who come to me to remove malware fall into that category.

Just because less people use an OS that's slightly more inherently secure doesn't mean it's bulletproof from any sort of attack. Also, it's no excuse for being ignorant and utterly naive about it.
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
DavidLeblond said:
How is OS X almost as vulnerable as Windows XP? You don't have to be a "stupid user" to get a virus in Windows XP, you simply need to have your computer plugged into the internet. And the fact that you "need" to buy a virus scanner to run XP and have half your CPU processes dedicated to fighting them is inane.
Given that you have the appropriate utilities installed and ports blocked and all that jazz, you shouldn't get malware just by being on a network.

And be realistic, if that many people ended up using OS X every day, Mac users would need protection too. To use an example, do you know just how easy it is to spoof an installer that asks for an administrator password?

Sure, you might not get anything on a Mac while it's on a network - but if the user's not being careful about it, it's their problem.
 

mad jew

Moderator emeritus
Apr 3, 2004
32,191
9
Adelaide, Australia
janey said:
Just because less people use an OS that's slightly more inherently secur doesn't mean it's bulletproof from any sort of attack.


I think that's selling OSX a bit short though. People have tried to write viruses for it and failed yet it is relatively much easier to write them for XP by taking advantage of how it handles .DLLs. :)


janey said:
Also, it's no excuse for being ignorant and utterly naive about it.


Agreed, but not all viruses are merely people running .EXEs voluntarily. These things can happen to anyone to some degree. Having said that, I agree that the majority of viruses on PCs are the direct result of inexperienced users.
 

scan

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 24, 2005
344
0
thx for all the comments but is there any references to these claims? thats what I really need
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.