# Goodbye viruses!



## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

I just ordered an Apple iBook G4. I needed a laptop really and the iBook had some major advantages:

- No viruses
- More stable
- Compatible with campus wireless network without additional hardware (which uses LEAP authentication so you need Apple Airport Extreme or a Cisco Aironet 350 card. Limited selection  )
- Better battery life
- Prettier

Anyone have any advice or hints while I'm waiting for my new laptop to arrive?


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Nobody has anything I should know? I thought there was at least one Mac guy on here... Any tips for a soon-to-be-new-mac-owner would be greatly appreciated!


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## HappyGoLucky (Jan 11, 2004)

MarkA said:


> Nobody has anything I should know? I thought there was at least one Mac guy on here... Any tips for a soon-to-be-new-mac-owner would be greatly appreciated!


There are viruses/trojans/worms which can infect Apple computers. They are rare, but they do exist and you should run some anti-virus software at all times. Because the latest Apple operating system is Unix-based, some of the same flaws which all other Unix systems have also affect Apple. Granted, there are exponentially fewer flaws than in Windows.

Get yourself a book on Unix and brush up on commands/syntax if you like to "tweak" a computer. The Apple operating system is beautifully constructed and powerful, even moreso than most people will ever discover (or even need to).


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## HappyGoLucky (Jan 11, 2004)

MarkA said:


> I just ordered an Apple iBook G4. I needed a laptop really and the iBook had some major advantages:
> 
> - No viruses
> - More stable
> ...


Oh, one more thing: make sure programs you buy are for Apple OS 10.x or higher. The older programs for the previous generation of the Apple operating system, while they will run on your new computer, will operate in an emulation environment so their performance is not as great as native 10.x programs. They are much like DOS or Win3.x programs on WinXP. Stick with 10.x native programs for the best experience.


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## mini1 (Jan 25, 2004)

"- No viruses"-as pointed out Apple still has its share of virouses, but not as many as are made for Windows.
"- More stable"-That fact can only be seen in the eye of the beholder. I say Windows is more stable for my experience with the the latest mac and Windows operating systems.
"- Better battery life"-you can find Windows PC's with better battery life than that.
"- Prettier"-again, as seen in the eye of the owner. I would have to agree on this one.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

Enjoy! I have a 17" Ti Book for the last year and I love it. Did you get the Superdrive option? The integration of Hardware and Software with Apple products are unbelievable. Since I use both PC's and Macs on a daily basis I can truly appreciate both. If I had to pick one over the other though I would still have to go with Apple! The iLife suite is a true work of art. By all means get antivirus software just in case.


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## tonyp56 (Apr 26, 2004)

well I can say this about Mac's, don't ever drop it,, let your cat, dog, child, or anyone else for that matter around it! I used to have to work on Apple computers, this was about three years ago when a Professor at our local college brought in the schools computer, which was one of the first Power Book G3, with a broken power plug (the one that you plug your power cable too. Anyways thats on the system board, $750 (without labor!) and thats not a warranty repair. 
Apple computers are great as far as software issues go. But one thing I always told my costumers, buy the extended warranty! I don't know how many Apples I looked at, gave a estimate for repairs, and the customer says something like, "what? I just bought that computer a year ago," be prepared to spend big bucks if it ever breaks, (unless it is a warranty repair, Apple does a good job, usually) The reason for this is Apple is the only place you can get parts for your computer, yeah you can get power cords, batteries, etc... on ebay, but your not going to find major components anywhere expcept from Apple. (there is some suppliers that supply mainly for older systems,(refurb!) and you may even find someone selling you parts, but are the parts new, used, refurb, etc...) Anyways, because Apple is the sole supplier for parts, they charge a lot of $ to fix your machine.
Bottom line protect your new Apple laptop as if it were as fragile as a baby!

One more thing, if you ever understood Microsoft computers ( you would be a minority!) it will take you a little bit to get used to how to opperate Apple computers. But you've rightfully stated no more viruses, (yet, I'm sure theres a idiot out there just waiting to get his name in the papers!)

Good luck,


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

I would say that about ANY laptop, not just Apple. And you can buy anything on ebay for an Apple as well. Mother boards, power supplies, LCD screens for Powerbooks all at very reasonable prices as well.

I have had a Powerbook G3 for almost 4 years now also. I had the power connector crack from the power supply board as well (from repeated pulling of the power supply out on a daily basis). Yep the repair price was high, so being a tech type I took it apart, got the board out, resoldered the adapter to the board, and put it back together in about an hour. Its still working perfectly and its been dropped once or twice as well. I could have bought the same board on ebay for around 60$.

If your not handy, with electronics, by all means purchase the extended warranty on ANY high $$ electronics!



tonyp56 said:


> well I can say this about Mac's, don't ever drop it,, let your cat, dog, child, or anyone else for that matter around it! I used to have to work on Apple computers, this was about three years ago when a Professor at our local college brought in the schools computer, which was one of the first Power Book G3, with a broken power plug (the one that you plug your power cable too. Anyways thats on the system board, $750 (without labor!) and thats not a warranty repair.
> Apple computers are great as far as software issues go. But one thing I always told my costumers, buy the extended warranty! I don't know how many Apples I looked at, gave a estimate for repairs, and the customer says something like, "what? I just bought that computer a year ago," be prepared to spend big bucks if it ever breaks, (unless it is a warranty repair, Apple does a good job, usually) The reason for this is Apple is the only place you can get parts for your computer, yeah you can get power cords, batteries, etc... on ebay, but your not going to find major components anywhere expcept from Apple. (there is some suppliers that supply mainly for older systems,(refurb!) and you may even find someone selling you parts, but are the parts new, used, refurb, etc...) Anyways, because Apple is the sole supplier for parts, they charge a lot of $ to fix your machine.
> Bottom line protect your new Apple laptop as if it were as fragile as a baby!
> 
> ...


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Thanks guys, a few things you can correct me on if I'm wrong:

There are no viruses for OSX (or any other Unix for that matter) "in the wild" and since I'm a new Mac owner I'll never even see OS9 (even in the form of the Classic environment) as all apps I buy now will be for OSX

To get 6 hrs of battery life on a Windows system you have to get a Centrino; and those cost a fortune

ALL laptops are proprietary and extremely fragile.

But yeah, I'm talking tips on a more advanced level - here's some of my questions:

- Are there any good FREE games?
- Are there any tweaks that should be made to make it run better, or do they come setup pretty well out of the box?

Basically, that was my question is are there any performance tweaks I should know? We use a dual G4 at church; but I haven't played with it much other than installing Panther awhile ago.

Also - will Office 2004 fix the compatibility issues with Windows PowerPoint?

Again, thanks!

PS - Oh yeah, I forgot the big question:

How do I share files between it and Windows systems?


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## HappyGoLucky (Jan 11, 2004)

MarkA said:


> Thanks guys, a few things you can correct me on if I'm wrong:
> 
> There are no viruses for OSX (or any other Unix for that matter) "in the wild" and since I'm a new Mac owner I'll never even see OS9 (even in the form of the Classic environment) as all apps I buy now will be for OSX


The only malware for OSX I've heard of is "Switchback", and it is extremely rare and requires several things to happen before it is possible to infect the computer.


> To get 6 hrs of battery life on a Windows system you have to get a Centrino; and those cost a fortune.


Not necessarily. Some Transmeta systems have extensive battery life and are rather inexpensive. And with some modular systems like the Thinkpad, extra batteries can be inserted giving very long runtimes. But Thinkpads, though worth it, are expensive.


> ALL laptops are proprietary and extremely fragile.


Very true. There are some models designed for rough service, but they are VERY expensive.



> - Are there any good FREE games?
> - Are there any tweaks that should be made to make it run better, or do they come setup pretty well out of the box?


Follow the Mac enthusiast forums in newsgroups and some Mac-specific magazines. I've even seen some tips in recent issues of PC Magazine, though they're not as numerous as those for WinXP.


> How do I share files between it and Windows systems?


It's quite easy, actually. WinXP and OSX readily talk to each other on a home network without much wrangling. A friend of mine connected his G5 machine to my router (which has 3 WinXP machines connected) and it instantly was communicating and sharing files with the XP machines without any magic or jumping through hoops. Also, CD-RW discs written in one should be readable to the other without any problems.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Thanks Happy, so you're telling me that if I enable file sharing on the Mac (I've seen the option on our Mac and church but have never touched it), and share some folders - Windows systems should just see them like any Windows box? If so, that's great! Thanks again,

Mark


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## firephoto (Sep 12, 2002)

Here's a great place for Mac help and info. I don't have one but I read the forum a lot and I haven't seen a question go unanswered there. Very friendly place too so don't be afraid of joining and asking all sorts of questions.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/macdsl


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## HappyGoLucky (Jan 11, 2004)

MarkA said:


> Thanks Happy, so you're telling me that if I enable file sharing on the Mac (I've seen the option on our Mac and church but have never touched it), and share some folders - Windows systems should just see them like any Windows box? If so, that's great! Thanks again,
> 
> Mark


Essentially that is true, at least with OSX and WinXP. Both now use "standard" network protocols (TCP/IP, NetBIOS) and I've had great success getting them talking to each other without much work. Some boxes you hook up and they instantly talk, some you have to nudge a little. But that happens even with two XP boxes.


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## invaliduser88 (Apr 23, 2002)

Saw this today and remembered this thread.

http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=1497


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

That's true, no OS is free of holes, but you must differentiate between holes that haven't been exploited in the wild (MacOS X) and those that have (Windows XP)


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

There is only one thing guaranteed a Mac can do better than a PC-

It can run Mac software.


The rest is all Bull****.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

DonLandis said:


> . . . The rest is all Bull****.


You could probably leave that as the last line in a lot of posts around here lately, at least on the political threads!!


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

Hmmm.

Me thinks thou doest protest too much.



DonLandis said:


> There is only one thing guaranteed a Mac can do better than a PC-
> 
> It can run Mac software.
> 
> The rest is all Bull****.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

Hmmm.

Me thinks thou doest protest too much. :nono2:



DonLandis said:


> There is only one thing guaranteed a Mac can do better than a PC-
> 
> It can run Mac software.
> 
> The rest is all Bull****.


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

I use a mac at work (less than a year old). I use a PC at home. I can't STAND the Mac. The mac crashes more often than my home PC. It crashes more often than any PC I've had since Windows 3.11. The software (designed for mac) freezes up, there is no 3.5" floppy for easy small file transfers (and I do that a lot). Safari refuses to open most pages I need to get to for work and I have to use MSIE for Mac. And what I hate the most in OS 10 is that there is no task bar showing the open programs that you can just click on to switch the active window. The task bar in OS 10 only does that if you've minimized a window. This makes working on multiple windows on a mac very difficult. I know several people at work love their macs, but I am not one of them.

See ya
Tony


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Unfortunately, floppy drives are obsolete. However, you can use a USB memory drive (exact name escapes me at the moment) which can be used to transfer files, yet fits in the pocket. I have a 128MB one which I use on a regular basis. 

There are also CDRs.


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## cclement (Mar 22, 2004)

Mark Holtz said:


> Unfortunately, floppy drives are obsolete. However, you can use a USB memory drive (exact name escapes me at the moment) which can be used to transfer files, yet fits in the pocket. I have a 128MB one which I use on a regular basis.
> 
> There are also CDRs.


Usually called jump drives or USB keys. They work great!! Highly recommended. Works with Mac or Windows.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

TNGTony said:


> I can't STAND the Mac. The mac crashes more often than my home PC. It crashes more often than any PC I've had since Windows 3.11.


Sounds to me like you Mac is just reacting to the negative feelings you are expressing towards it.....



TNGTony said:


> And what I hate the most in OS 10 is that there is no task bar showing the open programs that you can just click on to switch the active window. The task bar in OS 10 only does that if you've minimized a window. This makes working on multiple windows on a mac very difficult. I know several people at work love their macs, but I am not one of them.


Maybe you should load Virtual PC on your Mac at work secretly!


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

My Mac at work is unstable enough as it is. 

As to 3.5" floppy disks being obsolete, that's a bunch of bull as well. Today it took three computers, two network connections and one IT guy to get a 500kb text file from my desktop at work to the character generator computer in the production truck. Total time: 25 minute (about 1 man hour). Had my POS Mac had a figgin 3.5" disk drive built in, it would have taken 2 minutes (the amount of time it takes to walk from my desk to the production truck.

The funny part is that up until yesterday, I had access to a floppy drive on another computer. It was removed because it took too much time to use it. HA!!

See ya
Tony


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"Had my POS Mac had a figgin 3.5" disk drive built in, it would have taken 2 minutes (the amount of time it takes to walk from my desk to the production truck."

Floppy drives are cheap.. and many Windows PCs (such as some Dells) are dropping the floppy too. I haven't used a floppy in a computer in years (we've got a light console at church that uses them - and it runs something like MSDOS, but you probably wouldn't suggest everybody go to that, would you?

But if you really need a floppy drive - search Froogle for USB Floppy Drive. There's plenty under $30.

"My Mac at work is unstable enough as it is."

Do you have all the latest updates?
Have you repaired permissions in Disk Utility (sometimes it can help)?
Do you have any fonts you installed (if so try removing them - fonts, especially Times RO and Helvetica Nuie (versions incompatible with the ones that come on the Mac) are the biggest (and in fact, ONLY that I've personally seen) cause of MacOS X application crashes)?


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

I still don't understand why you didn't just use one of these. Honestly, 100 floppies in your pocket and NO moving parts. The only legit reason for not using one of these is your using a computer thats so old it doesn't even have USB.

The only real reason to use a floppy anymore is for a Windows boot disk really. (IMHO) anyway.



TNGTony said:


> As to 3.5" floppy disks being obsolete, that's a bunch of bull as well. Today it took three computers, two network connections and one IT guy to get a 500kb text file from my desktop at work to the character generator computer in the production truck. Total time: 25 minute (about 1 man hour). Had my POS Mac had a figgin 3.5" disk drive built in, it would have taken 2 minutes (the amount of time it takes to walk from my desk to the production truck.
> 
> The funny part is that up until yesterday, I had access to a floppy drive on another computer. It was removed because it took too much time to use it. HA!!


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"The only real reason to use a floppy anymore is for a Windows boot disk really. (IMHO) anyway."

Unnecessary - most modern computers will CD boot. The 3.5" floppy is as dead as the 5.25" floppy...


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

The gadget pictured above does not work on EVERY computer in service today and it is yet another electronic gizmo. I can tell you now that that gizmo will not work on the graphics computer at work. 3.5" floppies are cheap, and most every computer on the planet has them. Universal, portable and just what the doctor ordered for moving the kind of text files I deal with daily to computers that are not on networks. (in a production truck).

I will soon have to start burning CDs to accomplish the task now. At least CD-Rs ar cheap and hold plenty of info, but what a waste when you need to move a 500kb file and nothing else!

As to the set-up on my computer at work, I am not the IT guy. And I have been threatened within an inch of my life if I modify, change, add or delete any of the programming on the POS Mac at work. I suspect the IT guy at work has no clue what he's doing, but I have MY job to worry about and couldn't care less about his. All I know is that my computer at work crashes at least weekly. It hangs of web pages that my PC doesn't blink at, and it chokes on otherwise simple graphics.

My boss and the IT guy swear by these Macs...I just swear AT them. 

See ya
Tony


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

I hate to say this but your Mac's software is really messed up - I've seen Windows systems just the same. Your IT guy needs to fix it for you - point out you can't do your job. Best bet (sure to work) is to backup your software, format the drive, reinstall MacOS X, then install all the software updates. Avoid strange fonts and Norton AntiVirus (both are famous for messing up Macs)


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

MarkA said:


> "The only real reason to use a floppy anymore is for a Windows boot disk really. (IMHO) anyway."
> 
> Unnecessary - most modern computers will CD boot. The 3.5" floppy is as dead as the 5.25" floppy...


I remember saying 'the 5.25" floppy is as dead as the 8" floppy'.

I'm OLD.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

LOL  The number of people who yell and scream about Apple removing floppy drives amazed me - especially when many of them are Dell fans (no floppies there either on many systems) or laptop users (VERY few of them have floppy drives anymore to save weight)


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