Apple OS X useless 3rd Party Utilities and A/V
Ping!
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Posted on 07/28/2015 6:15:56 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Stuff you don't need and don't want. Don't buy back what you already own.OS X Snake Oil
This is a link only due to copyright requirements, but lots of good information on the RixStep site and well worth the read.
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While in my dentist’s office last week, I browsed an old Reader’s Digest magazine article about ten tips for troubleshooting your computer. It was an old magazine (my dentist doesn’t change magazines often) from years ago. Common sense tips like pulling the plug and restarting your machine. Last tip was for you to buy an Apple Mac. The author explained that his Mac customers rarely call on him for help fixing their computers, while he is busy helping Windows customers for various ailments.
I used to do some work-from-home things, and in order to do that I was required to install and maintain an anti-virus program. I chose the Intego software.
I retired several years ago, so I don’t need Intego anymore. I finally uninstalled it last week.
I recall that some time ago you posted instructions on how to turn On Apple’s anti-malware downloader that software like Intego turns off.
Would you mind posting that again?
That may have been years ago, but I know quite a few people who’ve had just as many problems with their mac computers as others do with their windows computers.
Like bad hard drives, can’t update, bad updates, software issues, power supply problems, bad memory, etc.
Every system can have issues, especially cheap garbage like $299 stuff. Nothing is perfect. Just like car owners who “never have problems”, it’s all smoke and mirrors. They are afraid to admit they may have bought something that isn’t so “superior” to “jaded” competing products after all.
Well, I haven't. I'm a former NT and Windows server administrator, and oversaw techs fixing desktop problems. A lot more goes wrong with Windows machines than Macs. True, bad hard drives affect all types of computers. But Macs don't have as many problems afflicting other machines when it comes to hardware and software. There's an occasional rare problem like what came up last week when a neighbor had me troubleshoot his iMac. It was a bad graphics board, which Apple is replacing free within four years of sale (well beyond the warranty).
Other problems affecting both computers is due to stupidity or an unwillingness to do safe practices. Such as the time I helped a department fix their "busted" server and network. Turned out that their admin left a year before that, and besides not hiring a new admin, none of the personnel deleted any files. The server ran out of space! All the staff were idiots. I had to teach them to regularly purge or archive files. Anyway, fixes, updates and driver issues on non-Mac machines seem more problematic.
Glad to do it, Jim
You can check the status of the OS X Gatekeeper protection by invoking your Terminal (use Spotlight and merely type Terminal and hit return). Then at the UNIX™ prompt type:
spctl --status
Note the double N-Dash before the command status.
That will report either "assessments enabled" or "assessments disabled".
If it is disabled, you can turn Gatekeeper back on by entering the following command:
sudo spctl --master-enable
It will require entering an Administrator Name and Password to activate Sudo. That will reactivate Gatekeeper. To turn it off, if for any reason you want to, enter the following:
sudo spctl --master-disable
Also requiring an Administrator permission.
Speaking of “non-Mac” machines, I just began the nightly process of Malware sweep/Virus sweep/Check drivers/Turn the Win7’s off with Grandma’s laptop and oh, joy got a Critical Update.
Anybody hear anything about ANOTHER patch out of the MS Wizard Brigade?
Oh, well. Maybe it’s just a reminder to rush over and grab our copies of Win 10.
Snort.
...if I hear about any more non-supported equipment (like my six-month old Epson), I may just turn to Apple or Unix or just go back to chalk sketches on the damn shop floor.
Nor have I experienced that. . . and I have been a cross platform consultant for many years. It just is not true. Whenever I have switched a client from Windows to Macs, I generally stopped making as much money from that client. I've maintained both Windows and Mac networks of multiple computers. . . and the Windows machines failed more frequently and far sooner unless we paid as much for the hardware. . . but the Windows software still demanded more maintenance.
I've never been called to clean up a virus infected Mac, and I've encountered only three Macs that have gotten Trojans because their owners did something stupid. . . yet I have cleaned many infected Windows machines and there were ALWAYS multiple viruses and malware on the machines, it was never just one. The worst had over 400 discrete malware and viruses on it. I lost count of the number of Windows re-installs I've done. . . but clean a re-install of OS X on a Mac is simple and did not require re-installing software or data. . . and could take between 20 minutes to 45 minutes tops, depending on the version of OS X.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've had to re-format an OS X Mac drive to do a re-install. For years on Windows, that was the recommended fix for many problems: reformat and re-install. . . as often as every three months or so, just to get rid of the typical Windows' slow downs.
That’s a matter of opinion, yes.
From a support perspective, one could say that people who use Mac’s are simpler and need more cushions of protections against things like porn sites and the like. That’s a software topic, not a hardware one.
Notice how so many Mac users still need to install Windows onto their systems. Could this be because Mac systems offer less flexibility because of these software protections? In other words, if you overprotect your users by offering less flexibility in the software, then one could say that Windows offers more power at the compromise of safety and the occasional software issues created by “inexperienced users”. Would this not be correct? And would it also be a correct statement that if you “harden” Windows to protect basic users, many of these issues would essentially go away?
From a hardware perspective many of the Mac systems have components built literally in the same Chinese and Korean factories side-by-side. Perhaps the “lack of failures” from hardware is due the fact that Windows machines outnumber Mac systems 10 to 1.
Comparing Apples to Apples is generally a better idea here.
I am sure you are familiar with Western Digital RED drives designed for Network Attached Storage (NAS)? They are built from the top 5% of Western Digital's production run of platters, drive motors, etc. Apple's Hard drives and other parts are built to the same specifications. It is one of the reasons that Apple computers ARE more expensive than the competition and also why Apple computers last longer than the competition. Open up a Mac and you will see the Apple logo on those parts which is why it is on there. . . The supplier had to certify they met those requirements. They are NOT just a collection of off-the-shelf components as the Apple nay-sayer crowd claims Apple computers are made of, implying they are the same as the $400 Windows boxes. There is a distinct difference in design, engineering, construction, and components. That is one of them.
You really want to go there? I suggest you don't. Macs are more sophisticated and capable of more than Windows machines. . . considering Macs can run easily run every variety of Windows in virtual machines, often several versions simultaneously.
Protections? I am one step away from the Terminal on a Mac where I have the full power of a UNIX™ computer. Where are those "protections" you have absolutely no knowledge about?
And you think that "Mac users are “inexperienced users”? Perhaps like the users who find that Macs are the best for technical use?? Like these Mac users?
And, no, Up Yours, they do not "need to install Windows" onto their systems. Those who do, find they don't use them. In fact, another Freeper who saw these photos claimed they were running Windows but had to eat his words when I posted a close up showing they were running OS X. I run SEVEN different operating systems on my big Mac system just so I can support my clients, not because I need anything they offer that I cannot do on my Mac.
From a hardware perspective many of the Mac systems have components built literally in the same Chinese and Korean factories side-by-side. Perhaps the “lack of failures” from hardware is due the fact that Windows machines outnumber Mac systems 10 to 1.
There you go with the ignorant opinion of "off-the-shelf" claims I just shot down above with facts.
No. It's because Windows is the more common platform, and if a small developer or an in-house shop only develops for one OS, it is likely to be Windows. And because the vast majority of users new to OS X are coming from some flavor of Windows, and some of them either want to keep their old apps or want to keep Windows around as a security blanket.
OS X is Unix. The default mode is, indeed, more protected than Windows (though Microsoft has taken great leaps forward in dumbing-down with the Win 8 "modern" interface), but for folks who know what they're doing and are inclined to do it, the command line accesses an extremely powerful and flexible OS.
Those are still your opinions and you’re entitled to them.
The fact is Mac’s are still trailing Windows by a factor of 1 to 10 in the U.S. As of 2015, Mac’s only comprise 6% of the global market share. And they’ve been 6% or less since as long as I can remember. And desktop apps for Apple trail by millions and millions. Millions and millions.
Maybe when their market global share hits oh say 35% and compare with Windows to compete, we’ll see just how “wonderful” the platform is since there will be enough of them out there for your “facts” to “match” general consensus.
2 in this house actually. 1 is an 11 year old IBM used by the grandkids. Works perfectly. Never a problem. The other is an HP laptop from 2006 that’s been retired, but still runs great.
You get what you pay for I guess. Pay more and it will last. Pay less, and it dies.
There are informed opinions. . . and opinions from people like you who really don't know what they are talking about who shouldn't be spouting off on them. . . especially when they use those opinions to denigrate an entire class of people like Mac users with such comments as "From a support perspective, one could say that people who use Mac’s are simpler. . ."
". . .simpler?" Really?
How arrogant can you be? The vast majority of Mac users have made that choice after being Windows users and are familiar with BOTH platforms, and are essentially bi-lingual speakers in a world of mono-linguists. . . and you, one who speaks a single language claim that your single language users are somehow more more sophisticated than those who can speak two?
Most Mac users can do their own tech support. . . what little they need to do. They've made the rational decision to buy a platform that needs less.
Thanks, Swordmaker. Assessments are enabled.
There is another Apple “thingie” (I was a career corporate security type, so that is sometimes my level of expertise) that downloads malware blocking code from Apple in the background. I can never remember the name.
Should I be concerned that that function might be turned off, as well?
I’m trying to have a civil discussion here and all you do is reply with more insults. Typical.
Bottom line is it’s all a matter of preference anyway. Both are good stable environments. Both have a set purpose.
Some people choose to have more flexibility, whereas others more “safety”. I like Windows because I’m familiar with it and enjoy the experience even at the ripe ole age of 80. It’s flexible, fast, and works well.
There’s a reason why Windows still dominates the market. I’m sure their new offering (Windows 10) will win over lots of people and Apple will continue to play catchup like they’ve been doing for decades in the PC realm. That’s just the way it is...for now anyway.
I have driven cars since 1954 and I can tell you that the current car I have is a 2008 and has 84,000 miles on it. I have done absolutely nothing to this car except change oil and tires. Never even added water. No heater hose, no radiator hose no spark plugs or wires absolutely nothing has been replaced. Not even air conditioner freon has been added.
Does that sound like smoke and mirrors?
I had one Mac break in my life and it was aMac Classic that I lugged around like a laptop so maybe I wasn't using it properly. I gave away several Apple II GS models a couple years ago and they were still running.
I still have a G4 Mac Mini and an original PowerBook G4 all still running.
My main computer is a 2009 early Mac Pro that runs 24/7 and is networked to a Mac Mini that I record TV on locally which also runs 24/7. I have several iMacs (5)one is an old 17" and all of them are running on my local network along with a cheap PC and X-Box, two Tivos 4 Roku boxes and several iPhones and iPads.
Smoke and Mirrors indeed.
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