What will happen? ...

[pianodude123]

PleASE realize that this message is not a trolly message...I just want an explanation....

I am thinking about buying a new powermac, when I was talking with my IT guy at work, we started to talk about spyware and all the crud that you get on windows computers. He said that the reason macs dont get spyware is because the idiots who design spyware and popups and all that junk dont market it towards macs because there is such a small population using them. It is kind of like robbing a small bank when you could rob a large bank. So, what happens when Macs become more popular and marketers start producing spyware for macs. There will be little advantage to buying them, and they would still be more expensive, they always have been. Other than gimics like free .Mac accounts, how will apple maintain its reputation as the "safer" computer???

 

[edwardk9]

Little advantage? Mac OSX alone was a seller for me. Although, I never had a problem with spyware virus on my PC but XP wasn't my fav. OS.

Not to mention they just look and feel right...if that makes any sense.

 

[pianodude123]

Thats all great...but the main reason im switching is because of all the spyware on PCs, and I am buying a computer that is hopefully going to last me a long time!

 

[Passante]

its more than just the OS

Check out this article which implicates both Windows and the Intel architechture in certain security issues.

http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=112000027VCW

And for a nontechnical perspective

http://securityawareness.blogspot.com/2005/05/mad-as-hell-metaphor-142.html

Security through obscurity is the last line of defense for Wintel IT bigots

 

[topgunn]

One of the main problem with Windows and spyware, adware, viruses and trojans is that any program can install itself without permission. On Mac, the user has to approve the installation by entering their password. This is a major hurdle for the nasty little programs. What the IT guy was quoting was the "security through obscurity" myth. OS X is not secure because it has a relatively small user base but because it is inherently more secure than Windows. Even if the tables were turned and Mac had a 90% market share, you would still see more viruses and nasty stuff for Windows because it is a much, much easier target.

The hacker community is one driven largely in part by pride and recognition. Don't you think that one of them would love to be the first one to exploit a hole in Mac OS X? Advertisers have huge budgets that they use in part to develop adware for Windows. They would be willing to throw large amounts of capital towards getting their ads to appear on unsuspecting Mac users computers at will.

 

[Mr. G4]

Thats all great...but the main reason im switching is because of all the spyware on PCs, and I am buying a computer that is hopefully going to last me a long time!

Wait a minute in you signature you claimed to own already a Powermac why do you need an IT guy to persuade you not to switch.

The biggest spyware on the Wintel is yet to come... Remember Paladium?
It's not dead yet...recently an Intel representant admid that the Intel processor Pentium D and Chipsets i945 will integrate a hardware DRM so nothing will stop Intel and Microsoft to control whatever you can do with your computer.

 

[pianodude123]

Wait a minute in you signature you claimed to own already a Powermac why do you need an IT guy to persuade you not to switch.

The biggest spyware on the Wintel is yet to come... Remember Paladium?
It's not dead yet...recently an Intel representant admid that the Intel processor Pentium D and Chipsets i945 will integrate a hardware DRM so nothing will stop Intel and Microsoft to control whatever you can do with your computer.

i dont need an IT guy to persuade me not to switch. We were just talking about the two platforms...The powermac is for work, and i started to like it, so i am thinking of buying another one for my house to replace my old compaq...that doesnt even deserve to be put in the signature!

 

[ChrisFromCanada]

PleASE realize that this message is not a trolly message...I just want an explanation....

I am thinking about buying a new powermac, when I was talking with my IT guy at work, we started to talk about spyware and all the crud that you get on windows computers. He said that the reason macs dont get spyware is because the idiots who design spyware and popups and all that junk dont market it towards macs because there is such a small population using them. It is kind of like robbing a small bank when you could rob a large bank. So, what happens when Macs become more popular and marketers start producing spyware for macs. There will be little advantage to buying them, and they would still be more expensive, they always have been. Other than gimics like free .Mac accounts, how will apple maintain its reputation as the "safer" computer???

Lets say there is 10,000 unique pieces of spyware/malware/viruses in the PC world (there is tons more but this is an example). And lets sat the Mac has a 2% market share.

Then using this IT persons reasoning if there is a 98:2 ratio of PC users to Mac users then why is there a 10,000:0 ratio for spyware/malware/viruses?


98:2 surely can't be equal to 10,000:0 can it?