7 ms·
Quote from 9to5mac: "Apple has always recommended anti-virus software - especially to enterprise customers. They do it because they want Apple users to be safe
by jrnkntl 18y ago
Quote from 9to5mac:
"Apple has always recommended anti-virus software - especially to enterprise customers. They do it because they want Apple users to be safe and for Virus makers to know that their user base is protected.
Do a quick search on Apple Docs and you'll find a number of them. Here's one from 2002 (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50569 http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50569). Here's one from earlier this year (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1147 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1147). There are plenty more. This isn't at all new."
http://9to5mac.com/crazy-displayport-virus http://9to5mac.com/crazy-displayport-virus
- jcl 18y agoDid you read the linked article? http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/12/apple_mac_users_should_get_ant.html http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/12/apple_m... While Apple may recommend anti-virus programs to enterprise customers, they still use the Mac's relative lack of viruses as a selling point in their ads, and an Apple employee told the column writer that anti-virus was unnecessary. Walt Mossberg says the same thing: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/garfinkel/17586/ http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/garfinkel/17586/ There is a bit of a disconnect between the Mac's public image and these quietly posted technical articles.
- cpr 18y agoIs there really a disconnect? The only Mac OS virii out there have been ones that require the user to run something and/or confirm an obviously unsafe action. And there have only been 2-3-4 that have made the news, vs. thousands for Windows. So it's not really a very dire situation, and Apple is right to feature it. I'd certainly rather have a family member use a Mac than a Windows machine, if only for this reason.
- whacked_new 18y agoI just wanted to point out that the parent-parent made no reference to Windows. It would be better if your arguments didn't require this reference.
- cpr 18y agoHuh? Isn't the whole point of Apple's ads that Mac OS X is better than Windows?
- whacked_new 18y agoYou're right; my mistake -- I glossed over the post and missed the "relative."
- jcl 18y agoIt is just a slight disconnect: On the one hand, the Mac OS is effectively free of viruses. On the other, Apple recommends installing antivirus anyway. The Register, of course, is blowing the whole thing way out of proportion. (...a sentence I originally put in my comment, and probably shouldn't have taken out.)
- jrnkntl 18y agoI read it and your last sentence between the () is the reason why I posted the quote. Those kb articles on the apple site are meant for all customers, not only the enterprise ones. And regarding the lack of viruses as a selling point; last get a mac ad regarding viruses is from 2006, and in that they don't explicitly say mac systems are virus-free: http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac_ads1/viruses_640x496.mov http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac_ads1/viruses... Windows would be just more vulnerable. And that is still true.
- tlrobinson 18y agoFrom that URL (http://9to5mac.com/crazy-displayport-virus http://9to5mac.com/crazy-displayport-virus) I expected to see an article about a crazy DisplayPort virus. A virus that infects computers via the monitor connection. That would be crazy.