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

What is mackeeper?

GGJstudios said:
Leap-A is not a virus, despite what Sophos says in trying to sell their antivirus app. Read the definition of a virus in the Mac Virus/Malware Info link I posted, then read how Leap-A works. You'll see it's a trojan/worm, not a virus.
Click to expand...

OK, cool. Thanks for the clarification.

First, you're right that there were true viruses in the wild that affected Mac OS 9 and earlier. You should also be aware that the list you linked by iAntiVirus is bogus. This post will explain how many items on that list are not even malware.
Click to expand...

Ah, got a bad list. My bad...
 
iThinkergoiMac said:
Ah, got a bad list. My bad...
Click to expand...
Actually, it's not "your bad". It's iAntiVirus that has a bad list. They've obviously added a lot of bogus "threats" to the list to try to justify the need for their app. By contrast, ClamXav takes a more honest approach and clearly states on their site:
Back in the days before OS X, the number of viruses which attacked Macintosh users totalled somewhere between about 60 and 80. Today, the number of viruses actively attacking OS X users is none.
Click to expand...
 
GGJstudios said:
You don't need MacKeeper. You really don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space. It will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software.

You also don't need any 3rd party antivirus software to protect Mac OS X from malware. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.
Click to expand...
Sorry but i'm just curious i have to ask why there are no viruses exist in the wild that affects Mac OS X? Is it hard to make? No hackers know how to do it? Why do they only target Windows but not Mac?
 
The Mac OS X is based on Unix. The virus works on the Windows cannot affect Mac OS X. The Mac users are much fewer than Windows users. And Unix has better protection mechanisms. In particular, a supervisor mode that is supposed to be very hard to attain for a non-super-user. Hackers want to seize more computers with their little time. So they prefer Windows. Unix and Mac OS X is not virus free. Just Windows is an easier prey, and has more users. If my memory serves me well, MacKeeper is not antivirus software. It more like a disk clean application, and the price is high. There are many free clean software anywhere, like Onyx, MacCleaning, etc. Personally, I will not purchase and use MacKeeper. I prefer to manually clean the useless files and logs by myself. If I get bored one day, I may try those free clean applications.
 
Maverick513 said:
The Mac OS X is based on Unix. The virus works on the Windows cannot affect Mac OS X. The Mac users are much fewer than Windows users. And Unix has better protection mechanisms. In particular, a supervisor mode that is supposed to be very hard to attain for a non-super-user. Hackers want to seize more computers with their little time. So they prefer Windows. Unix and Mac OS X is not virus free. Just Windows is an easier prey, and has more users. If my memory serves me well, MacKeeper is not antivirus software. It more like a disk clean application, and the price is high. There are many free clean software anywhere, like Onyx, MacCleaning, etc. Personally, I will not purchase and use MacKeeper. I prefer to manually clean the useless files and logs by myself. If I get bored one day, I may try those free clean applications.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply.
 
Since buying my macbook pro I installed Sophos antivirus which is free for home use.
Don't notice any difference in speed and keeps piece of mind.
 
pennbank said:
Since buying my macbook pro I installed Sophos antivirus which is free for home use.
Don't notice any difference in speed and keeps piece of mind.
Click to expand...
Well, your peace of mind is based on false information. Sophos should be avoided, as it could actually increase your Mac's vulnerability, as described here and here. I encourage you to read the link I posted in post #5 of this thread.
 
PNGento said:
I have searched and am not finding any link to "Brain 2.0"...can someone explain what exactly Brain 2.0 is...what it does, and most important, where to find it? A search for just "Brain 2.0" and "mac" is not giving me anything that I would believe is pertinent.

TIA
Click to expand...
I believe dusk007 is referring to that gray matter between your ears, not a software app.
 
GGJstudios said:
I believe dusk007 is referring to that gray matter between your ears, not a software app.
Click to expand...

You know, I was just coming back to edit my post as I was coming to the same conclusion. Just thought...ok, two people seem to think that would be a good app and then posted when nothing came of my search...So, I guess what I actually needed was to just update my "Brain 1.0"...

Thanks.
 
Could NOT find any meaningful information on this thread about mackeeper effects on a Mac OSX rather than you all raging wars on grammar and what not.
 
johnjey said:
Could NOT find any meaningful information on this thread about mackeeper effects on a Mac OSX rather than you all raging wars on grammar and what not.
Click to expand...
Read post #5. MacKeeper is not only ineffective in many of its functions, such as deleting app-related files, it is completely unnecessary to keep a Mac running well. In the hands of a novice user, it can be used to delete things that should not be deleted, and could cause problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back