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To: BRK

Well, no.

Many of the bugs that Apple is fixing (and are being found on Macs) are inherited from the “free” software that Apple is using as the basis for much of the OS X environment. There is a huge body of “free” (as in beer) s/w that has been incorporated into OS X - just pull open a term window and start playing Unix hacker. All of that stuff isn’t really Apple s/w - it is a lot of open source/free s/w ported to OS X. As such, Apple inherits the problems of that s/w. Since there are more OS X system running out there than there are Linux/*BSD boxes, the long-standing bugs in much of this s/w are now being found and patched as a result of being “productized” by Apple.

The architecture of OS X (and the lack of something so easily corrupted as Windows’ Registry) means that security problems on the Mac are far less systemic than on Windows. The lack of “active content” reduces the means by which attacks can manipulate the system from any application.

Windows’ architecture means that even layered applications’ exploits become a big problem for the whole of the machine.

To me, the proof of the pudding is this:

I’ve not seen any zero-day exploit in the wild on OS X that didn’t require me to surf on over to a web site with the exploit. There have been no worms that have just punch in via a port. There have been no emailed viruses/sploits that could use active content to infect my machine.

I’m running OS X without any security s/w installed. I’m running around naked, with my naughty bits flopping in the breeze, so to speak... and loving it.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t find some of Apple’s ads annoying and snooty. I do. I used to work on Mac’s from ‘86 to ‘94. I hated the preening, smug attitude of Mac zealots. I was the “downer” in the group of Mac pro’s with whom I hung out - because I was focused on engineering excellence and in the old Mac OS, there were some moby freakin’ hacks that defied excuse.

OS X, however, has the goods. Sure, they’re still patching. But from an architectural standpoint, I think OS X is superior to Windows from NT through Vista. Windows 7 might change my mind, since from all reports I’ve seen, MSFT is going to be aping OS X in Win7.


15 posted on 08/12/2008 6:52:58 AM PDT by NVDave
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To: NVDave
Of course, you may be right on every point. But TODAY, it does not matter. Today is not the day for quibbling. Today is for celebrating the end of the smug MACitude. Apple is at the top of the list, Microsoft is number 3 and like golf, a low score is better. Yeeee Haaaa...

Your post is somewhat thoughtful, so thus far, not a single post from a true Apple zealot has been made. I guess they are indeed under a rock. I know I would be.

22 posted on 08/12/2008 7:05:58 AM PDT by BRK
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