To all my mac using homies out there:

Hey everyone!

I'm a PC user, but I also love Macs. I will always love both Macs and PCs but I will always USE PCs. So this is not an attacking article. I want my Mac using/loving friends out there to be safe.

I know that all my mac using friends out there are not really aware of the security flaws in their operating system. I've always known that macs were particularly vulnerable, which is why when I worked tech support for a college that will remain nameless, I insisted that they put their mac machines on a seperate network that had no real internet access. Viruses and malware for macs were nearly non-existant in those days, but there were a few legacy viruses still accessible, and they did have a couple of older macs in the lab.

Unfortunately, especially thanks to those insipid Mac vs. PC ads, Mac users think that their computers are perfectly safe and thus won't download anti-virus software designed for the Mac. This is a horrible idea based on a fallacy, and I say shame on Apple. Shame on you Apple!

I'm not the only one that knows these things though. Please go to this article at ChannelWeb, it really impresses the absolute gravity of the situation. Read the top 10 myths about Mac security and please, please take whatever steps are available to you to protect yourself. Don't let your false sense of security lead to your system and personal information being compromised.



It's time to start thinking like a PC user. Viruses and malware for the Mac are on an exponential rise. Get with a PC friend and ask them what THEY do to protect themselves. Or ask me. I'm something of a security expert (self-proclaimed of course, it's why I own a BlackBerry Storm and not an iPhone).

I really just want you all to be safe, and you aren't.

Here are some relevant links: Keep in mind that Mac's anti-virus solutions are not as robust as PC ones and typically aren't supported as prolifically and rapidly (yet). If there are changes in the Mac virus world, as there will undoubtedly be, you won't have as quick a response as a PC user does. Just be extra careful about where you go and what you open.

I am LOATHE to suggest a Symantec product. They're buggy, supremely SUPREMELY invasive and they tend to take most of the control of your PC away from you while providing sub-par virus protection. But they're one of the few with a decent Mac AV software. They're better than McAfee by far, but nowhere near as good as some of the giants like Kaspersky. Kaspersky, as far as I can tell, doesn't have a Mac anti-virus yet. OR I just can't find it.

Norton for Macs

Here's a free one, but from what i've read, it doesn't do cross-platform viruses. Yes, you can catch certain viruses from your PC friends. They're nasty little buggers that adapt to the OS they're on.

PC Tools' iAntiVirus



Here's the most important truth about Mac malware/viruses. You don't have many because you were never the target before. As someone who knows the virus creator culture, there was never a point because there were so few Macs out there, why waste the time.

Macs have double digit market share for the first time since the 1980's. NOW there's a reason. NOW they're coming to get you. And they're doing it faster than Mac can keep up. Just please keep that in mind. It's not that you were ever immune. Mac has more security holes than there are pixels in the sky. It's just that they've never been exploited.
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Computer differences

I have been asked a question by Rocio, and I am going to answer it here so that maybe everyone can benefit from it.

I was asked whether I would choose a laptop from Dell, HP, or Apple:

I would NEVER choose Apple, and here is why. (keep in mind that I am in no way a PC fanboy, these are just facts I've run across in my tech support work over the years.)

Reason 1: The sad-face.

Apple computers are not troubleshoot-friendly. There is no tech outside of an Apple store that can take an apple that has an error and decode it. The most common error screen that comes up is the sad-face, or the sad-face-and-a-bomb. What the HELL do those mean? I've worked on a ton of Apples, and it can mean any one of dozens of problems. THIS MEANS: that you have to, have to, have to send your laptop or ipod or iphone OFF TO APPLE. this is bad because not only do they have access to your personal data (you are not allowed to open Apple products without voiding your warranty) but it takes WEEKS. When I worked at a major tech support company (think Nerd Crew, only said differently) we sent off 12-14 ipods per week to apple. some of them took 5 weeks to come back, and all they needed was a battery replacement. Not Acceptable.

Reason 2: Cost.

Apple computers are INCREDIBLY overpriced considering how low the specs are. Sure, MacOS is smooth and doesn't take long to load and can run a bunch of crap... So can Windows 7. Apple's nice operating system is no longer king of the roost. Vista was not a good operating system by any means, but 7 is poised to blow Apple's OS out of the water. Especially when you take into account the increased power and the sheer number of graphics cards you can get in a PC. On top of that, Apple computers can run very few games. As a gamer this is a huge detriment. You can also do anything that an Apple can do using a PC if you find the right programs.

In this point is the fact that everything Apple does, and I mean EVERYTHING, is proprietary. The ipod is a great point here. You used to be able to only use them with iTunes, which costs a buck per song. I am an avid supporter of Rhapsody, where you can have an unlimited number of songs to transfer to your portable mp3 player and you can switch them out all you want for only 15 bucks a month. I'd rather pay a 15 dollar monthly fee than a dollar per song. ipods can be hooked up to Rhapsody now too though, so that's less of a problem.

3. Elitism:

Apple computer users buy their machines because they're pretty. They also have a very elitist attitude of "my computer is better than yours" when it clearly isn't. This isn't a fight about who's comp is better though. Just because the computer is a nice white plastic with some clear resin around it, doesn't mean it's actually a better product. I prefer dark colors anyway. Also there are thousands of different looks you can achieve with a PC, especially a desktop. I'll take pictures of my desktop some time. Thing looks like a tank.

Now to move on to HP.

HP used to be only a printer company. What most people have forgotten is the fact that HP actually bought a bankrupt computer manufacturer called Compaq. They then promptly closed the BEST plants Compaq had (not saying much) and left open the crappy ones to start making HP computers. HP computers use low quality components just like Compaq used to. There's a reason Compaq went under. Don't let the quality of HP printers fool you into thinking their computers are good. They simply aren't.

So my choice would end up being Dell. I build my own computers, even laptops, but I do like Dell a lot for two reasons.

Dell uses market standard quality products. This is good and something few computer builders do (especially locally owned ones).

Dell has the best tech support I've ever seen.

I recently purchased a 27" Dell monitor and it had a problem. I called them and 3 days later there was a brand new 27" Dell monitor on my doorstep (it's widescreen of course).

Also their monitors are amazing. From their desktop monitors to their laptop monitors, they are kings of the LCD. My monitor, the Dell Ultrasharp WFP 2709 is brigher and clearer than the 30" Apple cinema display and my monitor only cost around 800 dollars, the cinema display, only 3 inches more screen space, can cost up to 3,000. I'd say that's a big discrepancy when you take into account the fact that Dell's 30" version of my monitor is only 1200.

So for me, someone who has done a lot of tech support and really knows what he's talking about, I would say avoid Apples unless you simply MUST have the sleek look, and go for a beautiful Dell. They come in lots of neat colors and patterns. The one I bought for my fiancee is a very pretty pink with a purple flower-stem pattern. I think it looks better than some plain white MacBook. Bleah.
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