Posted on 04/16/2008 2:50:20 AM PDT by Swordmaker
This has been one of the more entertaining/informative threads on computers on FR in a long time. Please do not let it die. It is wonderful being able to hear from the Mac Users without having the PC users bash them.
I mainly run java apps, tomcat, Lucene, etc. So I should be OK on a Mac. I should go ahead and buy one one of these days. I really like Unix, much OS better then Windows.
You may be thinking of Vista.
XP OEM setups are always set to admin, as is a fresh install on a blank drive.
Please provide a pic of where in the XP setup procedure it tells you not to run as admin.
Not Vista, I don’t touch Vista. It might depend on the what patches you’ve got and the overall security setting. I just went through a user setup and it defaulted to Power User to make an admin you have to pick Other and select Administrator from the drop down (which of course it defaults to because that’s first in the list, MS always finds a way). Then I went poking around the MS website and found a tutorial from 2006 that showed a completely different set of dialogs for making a user, and that one did default to admin.
I’m not running through a complete install just to get the opening message that says not to run as an admin to post for you. I’ve got better things to do with my life than run an XP install.
So you’re saying it’s relatively simple for a layman (like myself) to never have any problems with any kind of malware, sypware, pop-ups, etc., as long as I follow a few relatively simple instructions and purchase no aftermarket products?
Well it looks like it’s mine and millions of other users faults when crazy things happen to our computers. My last machine was about 3 years old. Each pc I got I googled and went here and other places to see what I should do about all of these things and always went with what was the highest rated,etc. programs to prevent all of these evildoings on the internet and in my email, etc. I STILL had tons of problems and I’m not an idiot, I grew tired of having to go through all of this BS that is second nature to someone who is proficient on a pc like you. What seems easy and obvious to you is complicated and tiresome to me.
My point is I don’t expect people to come to the back tees with me and shoot in the 70’s because it’s easy for me it took tons of work to get that good. You have never had a freeze, crash, restart? You are the EXCEPTION. I shoot 70’s from the back tees, I am the EXCEPTION.
I did research, etc. wound up spending $$$$ on Norton everthing, was I protected from everything? No. So many of you computer proficient people take SO MUCH for granted about what’s “easy”, “second nature”, “common sense”, etc. Every month I was trying to get rid of some stupid file or something that invaded my computer and slowed it to a screeching halt no matter how much I spent on protection. I was always googling for help, checking what free applications there were also to protect me, etc. My PC was a PITA!!!
I’m the same idiot using apple stuff and I have none of my past problems, my point being I don’t care if it’s “my” fault that I had problems with my windows computer. I didn’t like being imposed upon and I didn’t like learning all about my computer the way so many others do and the gazillion tricks you guys know to keep your pc’s running spotlessly. I tried and it NEVER worked for me.
So I went with Apple, the computer for “dummies” and you know what I haven’t had all of the BS problems described above for over a year now, that alone was worth it. I don’t need mega processing power for the buck etc., I want to be happy and ignorant and able to use my computer without all of the headaches that every last one of my pc’s gave me.
You keep telling me it was my fault, let’s assume you’re right. It was too much work for me to stay ahead of the curve, and I found it 10 times more annoying than interesting. Some people hate golf, I love golf, but I can accept that they hate it. I hated and ultimately resented trying to protect my pc from slowing down, freezing,etc.
I don’t care that it’s Apple, if there was a computer company that was called simpering sissy boy inc. that made a computer that I didn’t have to worry about I would buy it and say yes, my computer is a simpering sissy boy and I haven’t had any issues with it.
What about the Smithsonian? Can you imagine losing the contents of the Air & Space Museum?
If they used a neutron bomb, it is likely the Smithstonian would survive.
If not, It's a price I'm willing to pay.
Several sources have done a Vista/XP comparison and XP has blown the doors off of Vista on the same hardware.
When you *first* set up an XP machine, the initial setup where you enter the admin password, tell it what time zone you’re in, turn auto updates on or off, that sort of thing, it creates users for you.
Those users are ALWAYS set to admin, by default. Even with XP SP2.
It can be done, one can safely use Windows without having to buy other security products. It used to be harder but they finally added some long over due tools to the automatic download.
It is you and millions of other users fault, but that’s OK because people always have been and always will be the weakest link in security. Ever since a bribed guard let the Huns through the Great Wall we’ve known the real security problem is the people. Most of the viruses that have really ripped through the Windows world were Trojans (or semi-trojans), that means somebody double clicked on an exe they didn’t know what it was while being logged in as an administrator, and got themselves infected. Iloveyou ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILOVEYOU ) is my personal favorite, it nailed 10% of the computers connected to the internet and every last one of them was because the USER screwed up.
And it’s important to note that while Mac’s are more virus proof no OS is completely secure from them. They can close down certain transmission methods and shut down many destructive paths, but in the end you must let the users install software and therefore the user will always be able to run a Trojan if they’re dumb enough.
I’ve had crashes of course, but I’ve never had cyclical crashes caused by malware. I don’t think I am the exception, even the most successful virus ever only hit 10%, that means 90% didn’t double click that beast. Really it’s no different than guns. There are a handful of incredibly simple rules to follow with a gun, if you follow those rules you will never ever shoot anything or anyone you didn’t want to, if you don’t follow those rules you’re a tragedy waiting to happen. You don’t have to be a gun expert to follow these rules, I was only 5 when I learned these rules (raised by Marines, there were guns in the house, the rules must be learned) so I know it’s not that tough. And you don’t have to be a computer expert to know the rules on how not to get malware, you just have to bother to actually read the message boxes provided by the OS.
I now I see exactly why you had the problem, and it seriously calls into question your research. Everything Symantec has ever purchased was turned to crap, Norton AV is complete junk, it’s protection is minimal, it’s a vicious resource hog, it causes problems with other software, and it doesn’t uninstall clean. Norton utilities USED to be the best application ever written, but that ended a long time ago, it’s a testament to how good Norton was that it too Symantec 3 full releases to ruin Norton, but that was over a decade ago. Never let Symantec software near your computer, not even a Mac, they find a way to ruin everything.
For a lot of reasons Apple is pretty close to immune these days. But if they ever actually become the Windows killer some of those reasons will go away, the user base will probably no long depend on Apple as an approver of all software, and the install base will make Mac a tastier target for the malware jerks. Yes the greater security Apple has built into the OS will help, but again it’s all about the people. Once you get enough dumb users willing to double click on anything while logged on as admins you will get viruses in the wild on Macs, they may be fewer and less destructive but they will exist, it can’t be helped, there’s always somebody willing to let the Huns through the gate.
I don’t think so. I remember setting up the admin and then non-admin accounts, that was part of the point of the initial setup of the further accounts to provide you with non-admins for safe usage.
Aside from AutoCAD itself running in either Boot Camp (full speed), or in a Virtualization such as Parallels or Fusion (10% speed reduction), there are UNIX CAD applications that will run on the Intel Macs such as Ribbonsoft QCAD, BRL-CAD, and Archimedes (which is specialized for Architecture).Remember that Macs are the preferred choice in the creative arts... including TV and Film for set design, so some native OSX CAD programs come out of that area and include ArchiCAD 11.0, Argon 7.6, Domus.Cad 14.1.1, and a host of others that can be found listed HERE.
Incidentally, AutoCAD had its roots in UNIX and was ported to Windows NT.
Keep in mind that the Architecture program at the college may have some specific software requirements and to check those out before committing to an applications. Whatever they require, it will run on a Mac.
Is there a version of Photoshop for the Ma ... umm, never mind, I think I know the answer to this one.
Yup, you probably do... but just in case your answer is wrong... the right answer is yes.
Will she even need an Office type program?
That depends on how long the papers she will be writing will be and whether they will need foot notes or end notes, section breaks, etc. If she will be only doing short papers, then the iWork suite from Apple will do fine. If she is going to do really long papers, then Word is probably a good choice and Microsoft Office for Mac would be a good purchase.Speaking of purchases, Apple offers educational discounts for students in college and Microsoft sells student versions of Office for Mac and AutoCAD is also available in a student version for about $150.00. The discount savings can more than cover the costs of a licensed version of Windows to run anything absolutely required that you can't find in a Mac OS X version.
Will it run Folding@home, so her Dad will have hope when he is even older and grayer?
Absolutely... I have seven Macs running Folding@Home at a local dentist's office as well as on my home computers. There is even a version that will run multiple instances of F@H depending on the number of cores your Mac has.
You are aware that for over two years, Macs, with the sole exception of some software that requires specific hardware that is custom made, can natively run everything that WindowsXP, Windows Vista, Linux, UNIX, and Mac OS X can run with no difficulty?
i'm pretty sure there is an Apache server for just about any OS, but why would someone want to run Apache on windows, when it was designed with Unix in mind?
It's like running WebLogic application servers on windows. I know it's possible, by why would I want to?
Yes, of course I do.
Are you aware that I maintain the Mac Ping List on FreeRepublic that now numbers over 300 Freepers who are interested in topics related to Macintosh computers and other Apple products?
How is it that questions like this only get asked in Mac threads that tend to show Macs as superior to PCs?
Just curious. What kinds of things are you asking Mac users to verify that they don't know where they are?
Because I noticed a whole string of Mac postings with your name on all of them recently so I clicked on your tag and saw nothing but Mac VS. PC war nonsense.
Like I said, I find an occasional tech posting interesting. However, your postings seem to be directed towards getting people arguing Mac VS. PC. That’s an OK thing to discuss but I think there are sites specifically geared towards those discussions.
I directed my question to you because I was curious. BTW, direct me to a PC thread, I must have missed it.
Has there ever been a "Mac thread" that didn't?
My observation is that users who have CHOSEN the Mac are generally much more knowledgeable about their Macs than Windows users are about theirs and that, in fact, they are more knowledgeable about both Macs and Windows computers than Windows users are. That does not apply to users who did not have the choice. There I find there is not much difference between Mac and Windows users... both are users who just want to do their jobs and go home and have little technical expertise on either platform.
While AutoCAD is probably the best CAD program out there for generalized purposes, perhaps the AutoCAD people are a bit biased in what they have to say on their web site about competitor's products on a competing platform? ;^)>
Check Reply #71 for a far from comprehensive list of CAD programs for the Mac.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.