[Grovenet] MACs for Christmas

Thu Jan 3 12:00:04 PST 2008

Chuck, I hope no one assumes from your words that a Mac is safe from viruses
or Trojans (1). I'm sure you know better, but it would be a disservice to
folks if anyone assumed from your comments that they didn't need to be a
serious and careful about anti-virus protection with a Mac as any PC user
when you wrote:

Trouble free - to me - means turning it on and having it actually come 
on.  Clicking my email icon and actually having it work.  Surfing the 
Internet with Firefox or Safari - and being able to go to any site 
without threat of a dangerous popup, trojan horse, or virus.  That's 
pretty much sums up trouble free to me.  A device that works like it is 
supposed to.  Like a TV, or radio.

In my experience, that is exactly how my PC running MS Windows, Internet
Explorer and Outlook behaves, nor am I threatened by viruses, trojans or
other malware. That's not an "opinion" that's my *experience*. I can't guess
why you, as a professional working the personal computer field, have had so
much trouble but, using your own figures, 92% of the people out there don't
agree with you for one reason or another.

I used to build my own PCs and I did have problems from time to time with
mismatched chipsets and processors, overclocking circuits that wouldn't,
mixing and matching (or mismatching) various drives, RAM and other
components, etc. That's no different from the kid who buys a cheap car and
sets about rebuilding it with a new engine, transmission, suspension, etc.
and finds that some things don't work or it breaks down unexpectedly. Such
experiences don't relate to production automobiles in general use. 

The day I bought a quality PC with properly integrated parts and treated it
as a valuable tool instead of a toy I no longer had any significant issues,
just as I don't have significant issues with my cars. But I do need to treat
them properly. I also need to treat my PCs properly. 

Macs are excellent computers, and so are PCs. I respect that some people
simply hate "large corporations" or "Bill Gates" or "IBM". Indeed, Apple
fostered that image when they introduced the MAC when they characterized IBM
as Orwell's "Big Brother" from his novel 1984. It was a lasting image that
many people today still identify with. But that's not the stuff of
professional computer selection, operation or maintenance. It's a valid
basis for someone deciding to go with a Mac based on their feelings, but
it's not objective data for the professional who gives advice.

Using your numbers, more than 9 out of every ten computers in use today are
PCs. Is it any wonder that PCs face the majority of "attacks" as a gross
total? 

But it's simple and straightforward for a PC user to be safe. Smart PC users
take the easy steps needed to do that. 

It's equally important for Apple users to do the same for their own system
safety and out of respect for others who they interact with on the internet.

Ron D'Eau Claire 

1) For those interested, here a few of the hundreds of reports documenting
MAC virus attacks and fixes. It's no surprise the number of attacks is
growing along with the number of MACs in use. 

Mac Virus, Hacker Attacks on the Rise
http://www.macobserver.com/article/2005/03/23.4.shtml 

New Apple Trojan Means Mac Hunting Season Is Open
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2007/11/mac_trojan

Hackers look to crack Mac
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/10/20/apple.virus/index.html

SecureMac has released a free utility called DNSChanger Removal Tool to
remove the DNSChanger Trojan Horse, also known as OSX.RSPlug.A and
OSX/Puper...
http://www.securemac.com/

Apple Works To Stave Off Big Mac Attack
Apple Inc. on Thursday issued patches to plug five separate security holes
in software included on its Mac OS X computers.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/02/apple_works_to_stave_off_
big_m.html

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of chuck
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 10:34 AM
To: jeff at jeffhowden.com; Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] MACs for Christmas

>
> A truly trouble-free computer for the average non-technical computer 
> user does not exist.  All proponents of non-MS operating systems have 
> been pushing this mantra constantly, but it's a logical fallacy.
>
>   
In your opinion. 

My Linux machine is trouble free.  My opinion.  

I'm sure David can say the same with his Mac, as could Jane, or any of 
the other Mac users on this board. 

Trouble free - to me - means turning it on and having it actually come 
on.  Clicking my email icon and actually having it work.  Surfing the 
Internet with Firefox or Safari - and being able to go to any site 
without threat of a dangerous popup, trojan horse, or virus.  That's 
pretty much sums up trouble free to me.  A device that works like it is 
supposed to.  Like a TV, or radio.

In my experience, Windows has never been trouble free.  Freezing, 
locking up, driver issues, viruses, spyware, drive-by trojans, blue 
screens, support calls to foreign countries, activation issues, more 
software to purchase.  This is my definition of Windows.  Not exactly 
trouble free.
> An average non-technical user should not have to "learn an OS".  They 
> should be able to sit down at the machine and just get it to work.
I agree 100%. 
>   
>> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
>> My other service call this vacation (its hard being a computer guy) 
>> was to another relative whom I built a computer for 3 years ago.  Not 
>> one single Antivirus or Spyware application I had given him had been 
>> updated.  Not once.  The computer was inundated with Viruses and 
>> Spyware - big surprise.  [...] 
>> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
>>     
>
> User error.
>   
Absolutely User Error. 

But 'should' it be his fault?  Had he been using something other than 
Windows - would it still have been an issue?  I doubt it as most of his 
problems were Virus/malware related.

I still stand by my experience that Macs/Linux has far fewer Virus 
problems than Windows. 

My Linux machine has been running 3 yrs.  eMail, Internet, Word 
Processing, music/mp3, video/dvd, photo editing/storage, cd/dvd 
burning,  web site editing.  I have no firewall and no virus 
protection.  None. 

Should I worry?  Maybe.  But I don't.  I may have viruses on here right 
now - Windows viruses - and without the proper privileges - they can do 
absolutely nothing.  

I have purposely gone to hacking sites, warez sites, torrent sites, 
myspace, etc....sites I know have trojans, and have even had the 
Winfixer popups - I simply close them.  I purposely open email 
attachments - even questionable ones - nothing.  I have tried to get a 
virus.  Sorry.  They cannot do anything on an OS other than Windows. 

That may indeed change one day - but for now - I feel pretty safe.

>
> Want a computer without the false sense of security (ie, the claims of 
> being invulnerable)?  Get a PC.
>
>   
And when it breaks - I'm in the book.

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