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but if the # of seats on the Internet were switched, I have no doubt Windows number of viruses would be a lot less and OS X would be a lot more

I have doubts. Popularity is only part of the equation. The basic security of the OS, both in design and practice, also plays a huge part. For example, the browswer in OS X is not built into the OS and does not have system-level priveleges. You also have to type an admin password in OS X to install anything. While these are two of the most common system-hijacking Windows virus vectors, they don't work in OS X.

Popularity is only part of the equation.

Hi antiRepublicrat. You don't need to fall for this propaganda. (I once subscribed myself.) There is no evidence to support this claim. Given the hatred of some of the Windows folks on this forum alone, is it reasonable to assume that no one has taken that hatred to the next step and tried to hack the Mac? Of course not. The reason seems to rest in UNIX. Is UNIX an "obscure" OS? No. Have we seen anywhere near the security problems with UNIX as we have with Windows? No. If obscurity were the reason for the lack of hacks, why did anyone bother to write for OS 7? Is there some magic that compels Windows folks to attempt to hack the Mac whenever their market share numbers move from 3% to 4%? No.

The "security by obscurity" canard had nothing to do with "popularity." It was all about notoriety. The theory postulated that a hacker hacks for the same reason that a graffiti artist paints, notoriety. The graffiti artist doesn't spray paint the side of a wall to prove that the wall is vulnerable. The graffiti artist paints to boast that he has painted. He boasts of his conquest among his group. He proudly drives past his latest work and points it out to those in attendance. That IS the theory of "security by obscurity". It meant, "If I successfully hit Windows my name will be in all the papers. But if I hit the Mac, no one will notice." Can anyone say, "No one will notice," today, 2005?

There is no such thing as "security by obscurity" for the Mac is anything but obscure. Just look at the hatred spewed by some of the Windows folks around here. If they know about the Mac, how is it obscure? Isn't the iPod the most ubiquitous MP3 player in the world? The word obscure means, relatively unknown, not clearly seen or easily distinguished, shrouded in or hidden. Can you honestly say that ANY of those terms apply to Apple Computer in 2005?

Just look at For-Q. He represents the Windows contingent perfectly. He was overjoyed at having discovered "A" story about "A" Mac that had been infected by "A" virus. Instant notoriety! Universal notoriety! For only one REPORT of a successful attack on a Mac!

The minute a virus is produced that can infect multiple Macs, it will spread through the world press like wildfire. The name of the virus will become known throughout the globe overnight. The successful hacker will be hailed for decades as the first to strike a blow for OS purity.

Tell me I’m wrong.