4 ms·

Now more than ever, Little Snitch comes to the rescue. Cloud-based AI is completely neutered if the cloud is inaccessible. Honestly, the biggest reason to use

by zoky 3y ago

Now more than ever, Little Snitch comes to the rescue. Cloud-based AI is completely neutered if the cloud is inaccessible. Honestly, the biggest reason to use a Mac over anything else may well be Little Snitch. I could probably configure Linux not to phone home on my own, and almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows, but on a Mac with Little Snitch? I know I'm covered.

qayxc 3y ago
> and almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows What makes you think that? Even just editing the HOSTS file will get you there.
- zoky 3y ago
  Even assuming that blocking DNS were sufficient to stop spyware (it's not), how exactly am I going to block DNS for every single application that may or may not phone home without my knowledge, including applications that are hardcoded with DNS server information that doesn't respect the system settings? And yes, I have seen (and blocked) applications that have made requests to 8.8.8.8 when I didn't have my system DNS server set to that. I would have had no idea if not for Little Snitch alerting me.
  - qayxc 3y ago
    If you're insisting on 3rd party software, there's plenty of that for Windows, too. And yes, it do be working just the same.
    - zoky 3y ago
      It's really weird that Hacker News has become so full of Windows apologists in the last few years. It wasn't all that long ago that Slashdot was depicting Bill Gates as the Borg. Where did we go wrong?
      - qayxc 3y ago
        So no factual arguments? Just name-calling? I honestly don't care about OSes as long as they do what I need from them without having to tinker for days. Some users prefer golden cages, some prefer freedom, others simply don't care. If that's a problem for you, then that's clearly a you-problem, not an issue with the community.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
adl 3y ago
There are several alternatives to Little Snitch on Windows (and Linux). https://alternativeto.net/software/little-snitch/?platform=windows https://alternativeto.net/software/little-snitch/?platform=w...
microflash 3y ago
> almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows You can definitely do this with Safing Portmaster[1]. [1]: https://safing.io https://safing.io
mkl 3y ago
> almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows I was doing it with ZoneAlarm on Windows years before Little Snitch even existed, as far as I can tell. If you want to use a Mac, use a Mac, but it doesn't seem sensible to claim it's superior to other platforms when you don't know about them.
- zoky 3y ago
  > it doesn't seem sensible to claim it's superior to other platforms when you don't know about them. I didn’t, I just said I probably couldn’t do so with Windows. If you feel comfortable with ZoneAlarm, then great, but I personally am yet to be convinced that it’s even possible to really lock down a non-Unix (or Unix-like) system. In any case, I’m quite certain I couldn’t do it, and I don’t have nearly enough confidence in my understanding of how Windows network security works (does anyone really?) to say whether any given application works or not. But if it works for you, then great. All I know is that Little Snitch does the job easily and effectively, and I don’t trust anything else to work as easily or reliably.
  - mkl 3y ago
    I'm certain you could do it. You install ZoneAlarm (or equivalent), tell it to block everything (by clicking a checkbox or something), and allow or deny connection requests when they pop up. You did make that claim, but whatever: "Honestly, the biggest reason to use a Mac over anything else may well be Little Snitch."
therealdrag0 3y ago
And what has little snitch told you? Has anyone’s fears about their IDEs stealing code been realized?

by zoky 3y ago

qayxc 3y ago

> and almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows What makes you think that? Even just editing the HOSTS file will get you there.

zoky 3y ago
Even assuming that blocking DNS were sufficient to stop spyware (it's not), how exactly am I going to block DNS for every single application that may or may not phone home without my knowledge, including applications that are hardcoded with DNS server information that doesn't respect the system settings? And yes, I have seen (and blocked) applications that have made requests to 8.8.8.8 when I didn't have my system DNS server set to that. I would have had no idea if not for Little Snitch alerting me.
- qayxc 3y ago
  If you're insisting on 3rd party software, there's plenty of that for Windows, too. And yes, it do be working just the same.
  - zoky 3y ago
    It's really weird that Hacker News has become so full of Windows apologists in the last few years. It wasn't all that long ago that Slashdot was depicting Bill Gates as the Borg. Where did we go wrong?
    - qayxc 3y ago
      So no factual arguments? Just name-calling? I honestly don't care about OSes as long as they do what I need from them without having to tinker for days. Some users prefer golden cages, some prefer freedom, others simply don't care. If that's a problem for you, then that's clearly a you-problem, not an issue with the community.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

adl 3y ago

There are several alternatives to Little Snitch on Windows (and Linux). https://alternativeto.net/software/little-snitch/?platform=windows https://alternativeto.net/software/little-snitch/?platform=w...

microflash 3y ago

> almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows You can definitely do this with Safing Portmaster[1]. [1]: https://safing.io https://safing.io

mkl 3y ago

> almost certainly couldn't do so with Windows I was doing it with ZoneAlarm on Windows years before Little Snitch even existed, as far as I can tell. If you want to use a Mac, use a Mac, but it doesn't seem sensible to claim it's superior to other platforms when you don't know about them.

zoky 3y ago
> it doesn't seem sensible to claim it's superior to other platforms when you don't know about them. I didn’t, I just said I probably couldn’t do so with Windows. If you feel comfortable with ZoneAlarm, then great, but I personally am yet to be convinced that it’s even possible to really lock down a non-Unix (or Unix-like) system. In any case, I’m quite certain I couldn’t do it, and I don’t have nearly enough confidence in my understanding of how Windows network security works (does anyone really?) to say whether any given application works or not. But if it works for you, then great. All I know is that Little Snitch does the job easily and effectively, and I don’t trust anything else to work as easily or reliably.
- mkl 3y ago
  I'm certain you could do it. You install ZoneAlarm (or equivalent), tell it to block everything (by clicking a checkbox or something), and allow or deny connection requests when they pop up. You did make that claim, but whatever: "Honestly, the biggest reason to use a Mac over anything else may well be Little Snitch."

therealdrag0 3y ago

And what has little snitch told you? Has anyone’s fears about their IDEs stealing code been realized?