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Bill Gates totally insane, totally
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Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine.
--Bill Gates in Newsweek
First of all, why is the world's richest man talking like a jr. high student? Like, I, like totally dare you to buy Vista, totally. Second, you couldn't do it once a month on a Windows machine because after the first month the computer has been crippled by spyware and can't connect to the web.
I'll admit that there are exploits for OS X and I'll admit that Vista is probably going to be more secure than Windows XP (it couldn't be much less secure). But come on! I've been running my Mac for 1.5 years with no antivirus program, no spyware remover and no problems. How many Windows users can say all three of those things? I hope that Vista turns out to be bulletproof and people can run it for more than a few months without feeling like they need to reinstall or toss their computer. But I'm not holding my breath. I'm not running out and buying Vista, either.
Does this make me a Mac bigot? I hope not. People should use whatever works best for them. But don't believe this crap about Windows being more secure than the Mac. In my experience it's just not true.
6 comments
Danny, you MAC bigot :p
LOL … interesting comment by MR. BG ( wonder if his middle name is Isaiah, because IF SO … he could be called “Mr. B.I.G.” :p )
Anyway … nope, I can’t say that I’ve run the last 1.5 years without antivirus, antispyware or haven’t had problems. But then again, I’m a republican. :|
Fact is, folks should have a good experience no matter their O/S and H/W choice. ( I miss my 286 :(( … Instant ON, no SPAM … no spyware … - - mind you … no connectivity either :p )
Cheers,
-stk
Amen, brother. Preach it. I’ve done all that you’ve done for three years on my Mac with no problems as well. Amazing, isn’t it?
I’ve been running vista for a few months now. I was one of the beta testers that got a free copy as a gift. I’ve been running xp for 5 years. On all the computers in this house, with my family ranging from people that just know how to send a email to my skill level. None of the computers have crashed or got a virus since xp. Just because you have had horrible experiences, or simply don’t know how to use another operating system, doesn’t mean it applies for everyone. I would suggest you get Vista and then try all the things you just said. And i’m sure bill gates would be more aware of the problem.
And if you haven’t been running anti spyware or antivirus solutions how do you know your clean?
Sorry Danny, but you’re an iBorg. Bill Gates runs a company that, because he is who he is, has focused entirely on money for far too long, and I wish the JD had busted them into itty bitty pieces, but that doesn’t make Apple’s “we own it so you like it or suck wind” approach any better.
I know nothing about the security of Apple products because I don’t want to “accept” finding mac-compatible versions of everything I use to do what I do. I also don’t want to pay 999 bucks for an entry level product! Since I don’t buy entry level I would have to look at 1999 bucks as the starting price. Since I always tell whoever is selling me a box to up everything to whatever it can handle, apple’s product checks in at almost 3900 bucks. WTF!!! Sorry, but for that I could have bought my current machine AND made a payment on the more expensive of my two vehicles.
As to security, a little common sense goes a long way. The stereotypical idiot who doesn’t do anything about anything is a thing of the past. Much like the “war” between apple and the other PC makers and OS writers. The “old person” who doesn’t know computers died of old age. The kiddies who were in grade school when computing became normal are now caring for their grandparents. The world has moved on is what I’m saying.
As you said: use what works for you. At the same time, don’t turn yourself into a mindless billboard for a common household product. If you love a Mac for how well it does what you need to do, that’s cool. If you’re comforable buying Sony’s name-brand value despite what they did in the name of DRM then go for it. If you have the smarts to build the most rockin’ machine imaginable for your specific focus then have a blast. Of course in this case you won’t be buying apple, which is apple’s biggest flaw, but the point is the same: use what works for you and be just a wee bit smarter than a rock.
Blue Skies to you my friend!
balupton,
It’s not that I don’t know how to use Windows. I’ve used Windows at work all along. (I have a Mac at my current job, but there’s a windows laptop setting right next to it that I use for testing sites in IE). I know how to run Windows without getting hit with malware and I help friends and family get set up on their PCs so as not to get infected. So it is possible, it just takes some work (install Firefox and warn them never to click the blue E, install AVG antivirus, spybot S&D, Adaware, make sure Windows Update is turned on, manually install the dozens of updates that the computer needs right after you take it out of the box, etc). With a Mac, on the other hand, you basically just take it out of the box and plug it in and you’re all set. Novice users don’t have to hire a geek to immunize the computer for them, they can just start using it.
I have and still do use both operating systems. Actually, all three. I used a few different distros of Linux before getting my Mac and my daughter’s computer runs Ubuntu to this day. That’s the background to my current opinion. Have you tried all three?
I said it before and I’ll repeat it now. People should use whatever works best for them. When people ask my opinion I let them know that my Mac has worked great for me. These are usually the people who are going to want free tech support from me, so by recommending Apple I reduce the amount of work for myself. I still stand by my original point that anyone who thinks that Windows is more secure out of the box than a Mac out of the box is out of their mind.
The “old person” who doesn’t know computers died of old age?????
I don’t think so. And what’s worse, there are millions upon millions of YOUNG people who don’t know computers. Sure, they can boot up and most of them can make a supremely annoying MySpace page (so they clearly know web design [read: sarcasm]) and they can load an iPod or a Zune (yes, I know 2 people who own a Zune), but that doesn’t mean they “know comptuers.” The kind of people I’m talking about here don’t know how to connect to a network, successfully backup data, use a jump drive, install anything that isn’t plug-and-play, or type using more than 4 fingers.
Don’t say that we’ve reached the point that computers are a common-knowledge device just because they are common.
We all drive cars but what percentage of us could repair, let alone explain, an automatic transmission. I can’t make that claim.
“To a nerd, the world is full of nerds.”
–Me
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