There are no exploits found, that is the thing. Sure, you get some security software company that says they have found a vulnerability in a lab, but...you never see it in the real world.
That is the point a lot of mac advocates make...sure, there may be exploits out there, just like there are sharks in the ocean, but...if they aren’t biting or killing people, so what?
Your assertion of “what an exploit means changes” is irrelevant. What is relevant and meaningful is that there aren’t any out there torturing the users in the way they are on Windows. We can discuss WHY that it so, but we cannot dispute the absolute reality of that. It exists.
I don’t think breathless claims like this one help the anti-mac fanatics either. It makes them look silly, in my opinion.
I wrote an OS myself. It’s probably got all kinds of security holes that have yet to be exploited. But hey as you say...since the sharks aren’t biting who cares, right?
Using your analogy...we know sharks will eventually bite especially when provoked or under the right conditions. So I don’t recommend going and swimming with sharks and those idiots who try it find out what happens. In fact look at what happens when someone gets paid to hack a mac:
http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/57038.html?wlc=1276184178http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/19/pwn2own_contest_returns/
I really don’t need to post all the times someone was paid to hack OSx and was successful do I? This just proves the point that it’s not worth the effort (yet) for hackers in the real world to start writing spyware and such for mac users. Although it’s getting there as now even Valve is releasing games on Steam. So Mac is growing (some for legit reasons and others for false sense of security). And those buying it for the false security will have a rude awakening, but at that point it will be a pyrrhic victory for the those that said this would happen.
Oh and this is interesting as well:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/mac-versus-windows-vulnerability-stats-for-2007/758
This article from way back in 2005 pretty much still applies today: http://www.zdnet.com.au/mac-community-must-wake-up-to-security-139210762.htm