For PeteEU: virus on Mac continued

[Fiddytree]

Yeah....I rarely feel like playing games on my PC anyhow. I use mostly the 360 or the PS3 for that, and even then, I am consumed with something more important than games.

It is called choice on the different versions... I know the word choice is alien to Mac users..

No, it's not called choice. It's called, Microsoft views themselves as a software company and needs to make a lot of revenue by providing many variants of its OS.

 

[scourge99]

Oh joy! A computer thread. Something can give more than opinion on because I am in the software and security business.

A few points:
1) Windows is less secure than Mac and unix... but not for the reasons you'd think. Mac and Linux are full of bugs and exploits that can be hacked just like windows. They eventually get patched and fixed when discovered but it takes a long time to find all the holes within millions of lines of code that continues to be changed and updated. Furthermore, poorly written programs create security issues just as dangerous as poor OS programming. So why is Windows less secure? It all comes down to marketshare. Windows owns the market thus hackers spend their time targeting windows.

2) If your windows box slows down or sucks its not because of microsoft. More likely than not its ****ty programmers and their ****ty software mucking it up. I highly recommend reinstalling your OS every 1 to 2 years. This shouldn't be too much of a hassle if you back up your work which you should be doing anyways--hard drives fail all the time. Its well worth the effort.

3) if you like mac, use mac. If you like windows, use windows. Same for Unix. There are various advantages and disadvantages of each. It probably won't matter in 10-20 years anyways. The cloud is coming.

 

[Middleground]

Oh joy! A computer thread. Something can give more than opinion on because I am in the software and security business.

A few points:
1) Windows is less secure than Mac and unix... but not for the reasons you'd think. Mac and Linux are full of bugs and exploits that can be hacked just like windows. They eventually get patched and fixed when discovered but it takes a long time to find all the holes within millions of lines of code that continues to be changed and updated. Furthermore, poorly written programs create security issues just as dangerous as poor OS programming. So why is Windows less secure? It all comes down to marketshare. Windows owns the market thus hackers spend their time targeting windows.

Agreed.

2) If your windows box slows down or sucks its not because of microsoft. More likely than not its ****ty programmers and their ****ty software mucking it up. I highly recommend reinstalling your OS every 1 to 2 years. This shouldn't be too much of a hassle if you back up your work which you should be doing anyways--hard drives fail all the time. Its well worth the effort.

Yes, I have heard this. What really sucks is that on a PC, you have to reinstall all of your software. That bites. Also, unlike Windows, I don't have to reinstall the OS just for simple maintenance.

3) if you like mac, use mac. If you like windows, use windows. Same for Unix. There are various advantages and disadvantages of each. It probably won't matter in 10-20 years anyways. The cloud is coming.

Besides price and less games, what is the disadvantage to owning a mac?

 

[Andalublue]

Besides price and less games, what is the disadvantage to owning a mac?

I'm guessing incompatability with a lot of commercial software. Can't think of anything else, but some PC devotees do get a bee in their bonnet about Macs.

 

[Fiddytree]

I'm guessing incompatability with a lot of commercial software. Can't think of anything else, but some PC devotees do get a bee in their bonnet about Macs.

Build quality can be bad. My macbook had gone through the infamous cracking process, damaging my battery and messing with my tackpad & mouse button.

 

[scourge99]

Yes, I have heard this. What really sucks is that on a PC, you have to reinstall all of your software. That bites. Also, unlike Windows, I don't have to reinstall the OS just for simple maintenance.

I have spent very little time with OS X so I can't confirm or deny this. I don't imagine they are magically immune to many of the same issues.

Besides price and less games, what is the disadvantage to owning a mac?

There really isn't much. Its really just tied to marketshare. Sure there are little differences, E.G., mac tends to be an all-in-one purchase, windows has Office.

All the latest and greatest will be targeted to PC users because its the 800lb Gorilla when it comes to OS. That goes for software and hardware and even in the workplace. It can be difficult to find hardware drivers for mac and linux but just about everything in a computer store will be windows plug-and-play compatible. That's really the only major difference and its not due to Windows being a better or worse OS than mac.

 

[Andalublue]

Build quality can be bad. My macbook had gone through the infamous cracking process, damaging my battery and messing with my tackpad & mouse button.

You kind of expect that. It's an American product after all. Who hasn't driven a Chrysler with ill-fitting doors or a Dodge with a slightly warping plastic fascia?

 

[PeteEU]

You kind of expect that. It's an American product after all. Who hasn't driven a Chrysler with ill-fitting doors or a Dodge with a slightly warping plastic fascia?

Damn you!.. bad flash backs there omfgs. Had a Chevie that broke down on the high way from Jeddah to the Airport in Saudi Arabia.. in the middle of the desert and with 100 F outside... was not fun!