Mac versus Windows security

I hope you also read the article I linked to that noted that this article has some errors .

Y'know, it is stereotypical, yes. Macs used to have the upper edge in Adobe software, but now its pretty much even. And while both run it fine though, you still have to note some things about industries...sometimes, its important to have a certain notebook for a certain thing. As in, you'd normally walk into a business meeting with a Thinkpad...you'd be carrying around a Toughbook in the Army...in the same way, for most of the entertainment and design industry, you're carrying around a Mac.

 

Just a personal note:

I find it very hard to switch over to a Mac for Photoshop. All the shortcuts use the Apple key instead of the Control key, and that really screws me up pretty badly. Obviously this wouldn't bother someone who was used to the Mac layout to begin with.

 

I cross over between Macs and PCs a lot, since I have a MacBook and a desktop PC, and my school has a Mac lab as well as a Dell lab, and I know absolutely what you mean...I always get my shortcuts screwed up .

 

Yep. I think thats the only thing keeping me from booting into the Leopard partition on my iMac....I wants my shortcuts....

 

Good post. It's also good to note, that Apple also has pretty legendary customer support. With Dell, I've had piss poor customer support, unless you have a business notebook, or shell out the $300 for their US based warranty.

But also... you are paying a bit more for OS X and iLife and all the other sweet things that come with OS X (check out some of their dev tools, like Quartz Composer). The apps that come with iLife and OS X are actually decent. Not pretty much useless after thought apps (like Windows Movie Maker) that MS has throw in. Though where is our Paint type application?!?

But yeah, I don't think they're overpriced until you look at the upper level 15" MBP. Thats... a bit overboard. And their upgrades are pretty highly priced as well.

Have to say though, I much prefer using the apple key for shortcuts compared to go between the ctrl and alt key in windows. The way I got around the whole thing, I didn't use windows for a few months Since Windows is my least used OS, I have more problems using the shortcuts in it. But at least if I run XP in parallels, teh Apple key acts as the Alt key :-D

 

Apple's prices are indeed outrageous. One of the arguments I have heard about why the prices are so high is that its a package of both hardware and software. Sure it comes with some really cool built-in software products...but what that does is forces those applications upon the user. I may not need a really cool picture editing software...I may be able to get things done with all kinds of freeware applications...I want to be able to make that choice. If Apple can get rid of the software and price more comparably..then I might considering buying an Apple. In the end, I should have that choice.

2. I totally agree with someone who said Mac OSX and Windows OS are like two different languages. To each his own.

3. As for security, Microsoft hires some of the best software programmers out there. If you're telling me that their programmers can't develop a product (their most important product) that isnt secure...I am going to need some solid proof of that. I strongly believe that if/when Mac's get more popular, hackers will devote more time into breaking that code. Right now, they couldn't care less about hacking into what 10% of the computer-buying people have. 90% of the world runs on windows...most large corporations like GE run on windows...hackers obviously have more value there and will devote their time and resources to hacking windows. (As a side note, I am not encouraging hacking, that's just the way it is though). Any system, be it Unix based or not, is human-made. And anything that is made by one human can, if necessary, be cracked by another human.

One thing I do have to say...Apple has some of the best designers. Their products have this amazing visual appeal...they all have these state-of-the-art, cool designs. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

From what I've heard and seen, it's legendarily bad, if anything. They're one of the most stubborn companies in existence when it comes to denying manufacturing defects, for example.

Isn't Vista more expensive than OS X though? If so, considering every other laptop comes with Vista, that can't really explain why Mac laptops are so expensive.

Of course they can write secure software. But can they do it when they have to be backwards compatible with a product that is famed for being insecure?
They're trying, but it's hard work. The reason for Windows' security problems isn't that their developers suck, just that they're given an impossible task: "Create a compatible OS platform, without breaking *any* compatibility with old versions, which let the user do whatever he damn well pleased, no matter how badly it screwed up the entire system)

Yep, but there's still a big difference in the premise.
Historically, Unix has pretty much used a 'deny by default' philosophy. Normal people don't run as root, and if you're not root, nothing is allowed, exceptwhat the root user explicitly gives you access to.

Windows comes from the opposite direction. Historically, everyone has been admin. Everything is allowed by default. Even now that Vista tries to make people run as limited users, they still give their limited users *a lot* of permissions by default. It's a 'allow by default' approach, where the administrator explicitly has to disable everything that might cause problems.

Obviously, the former is easier to make secure. It doesn't mean that the latter is impossible, just that you have to work harder at it, and it's a lot harder to do correctly.

 

all i have to say, the mac laptops need a @#$damn right click button. sure you can tap 2 fingers but why oh why even bother giving that option if you don't include the fricking right button!?!