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To: Star Traveler
We will just have to agree to disagree, with one exception;
You are correct in that the end result is there are less security violations on Mac platforms the the others.
I will leave you with one last thought;

How many Mac platforms run data bases that store credit card info, run secure web sites that transact sensitive information, make money transfers, centrally store secrete information, fall victim to script kiddies, become bots in a network, or become magnets for fast spreading viruses, worms, or Trojans? Now why do you suppose the other, more wide spread platforms do? Now you tell me why when Macs are the superior platform, why all the dummies are still using those other platforms?

Why rob a church when the bank is where the money is stored?

45 posted on 06/13/2007 6:23:44 PM PDT by rightwingextremist1776
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To: rightwingextremist1776

Well, in answer to your question about all the other machines out there on other platforms (other than Mac OS X), there are reasons why they are used — that has nothing to do with their greater security or less secure status (depending on which way you view the “security” of those systems).

There are programs developed on certain platforms. There is a business-type “ecosystem” that grows up around a platform. It doesn’t matter if that platform is less secure than another. You just hire more people to deal with it, and you use the tools and programs that have developed in that ecosystem.

Apple Computer hasn’t pursued the business ecosystem. Now, while it may be more secure an operating system — if — a business ecosystem isn’t built up around it (which does take some time to do, once you’ve decided you’re going to pursue that kind of strategy), then one is not going to have that operating system spread in all these areas that you’re talking about.

The simple fact of the matter is that Apple Computer has not made that a part of its strategy for selling computers (and its operating system). They’re not pursuing that.

The benefit for the consumer is that they’ve got a better and more secure operating system than many of these very businesses that you’re talking about. Apple is not there in those business environments because it’s never bothered to go after them. It’s going for the consumer and certain other specialty computing environments.

If Apple ever decides to go after those kinds of businesses, then things might be different. But, I really don’t know if Apple will ever decide to go for those kinds of businesses. It’s making so much money right now doing what it’s doing with a very safe and secure system, which benefits the consumer, that it may decide it’s not worth it to pursue these other kinds of businesses.

But, I can’t know what Apple will decide to pursue in the future. That remains to be seen. In the meantime, the consumer can be satisfied that it has a safer operating system than many of these other types of businesses that you mention.


47 posted on 06/13/2007 7:13:54 PM PDT by Star Traveler
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To: rightwingextremist1776
This is just too easy:

How many Mac platforms run data bases that store credit card info, run secure web sites that transact sensitive information, make money transfers, centrally store secrete information,

OK, up until this comma, this is a fair question with an easy answer (see below). But then you continue in your inane rambling....

fall victim to script kiddies, become bots in a network, or become magnets for fast spreading viruses, worms, or Trojans?

Now why do you suppose the other, more wide spread platforms do? Now you tell me why when Macs are the superior platform, why all the dummies are still using those other platforms?

Mmmm....maybe because they made the mistake of hiring you for security consulting?

Now to answer the top, coherent part of your rambling question/statement/certification-of-your-lack-of-thinking-skills:

See this?

That's a big well-encased farm of xServes (Apple's 1U server platform, then PowerPC based) from Apple's developer conference a little over 10 months ago.

It's installed at a "eBureau" (was "xTech"), one of America's largest processors of credit card data, as well as other financial and security systems. In the company's own words:

"eBureau provides a suite of precision marketing, credit risk management, fraud prevention and receivables management solutions to direct marketers, financial services companies, Internet retailers and agencies"

eBureau calls this installation the "Aquarium". It runs Mac OS X Server.

For a "Computer Security Pro", you're quite the ignorant chump, aren't you?

50 posted on 06/13/2007 8:35:44 PM PDT by Yossarian (Everyday, somewhere on the globe, somebody is pushing the frontier of stupidity...)
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To: rightwingextremist1776
How many Mac platforms run data bases that store credit card info, run secure web sites that transact sensitive information, make money transfers, centrally store secrete information . . .?

- Let's see. I have client businesses that do that with their Macs. A bank in Japan just went 100% Mac. JC Penneys runs Macs at their corporate headquarters for a lot of that. Several of them decided to go Mac after having such information stolen from their Windows computers by malware.

How many Mac platforms . . . fall victim to script kiddies, become bots in a network, or become magnets for fast spreading viruses, worms, or Trojans?

Uh, that would be about zero . . . While an owner of a Mac COULD intentionally use it as a kiddie porn or spam server, it is highly unlikely that it could occur without his permission. While any machine can fall victim to a Trojan (a malicious application masquerading as something else requiring social engineering to get the user to install and execute it), there are no successful viruses or worms on the Mac platform.

102 posted on 06/15/2007 12:05:16 AM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE)
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To: rightwingextremist1776

Now why do you suppose the other, more wide spread platforms do? Now you tell me why when Macs are the superior platform, why all the dummies are still using those other platforms?


Legacy investments. Legacy training investments. Pre-exisiting contracts. etc, etc etc.

It’s the old in for a penny in for a pound.

There is too much cost associated with a mass migration from the old platform to the new.

Most all of the computer systems were put in place with old school rules for depreciation, never accounting for Moore’s Law, which was not invented when the first PC systems came about.

Most businesses, and by this I mean the larger fortune 500 of which provided the backbone to IBM and now MS for years, set unrealistic 10 year cycles on this technology.

Also compatibility... until 2006... they were different hardware and that would mean additional risk. Corporate IT departments are highly risk aversive.

I have worked in banking since I was 14 part time while going to school. My father is an EVP with a Fortune 5 Bank. I remember when we got our XP upgrade at home and the bank did not want to upgrade from windows 98 because it WORKED and was too expensive.

Most of the machines in “services” still run win98... why? because they work and the machines work and thus the departments which are all COST Centers are not going over budget which means the managers keep their jobs.

When we do get newer computers, we now get them bare bones because we have per cost site licenses STILL for win98.

Follow the MONEY.

Will our bank go to Mac ??

As long as win98 still works, as long as we can save and open spreadsheets from the 90’s and as long as new computers cost more than a couple hundred dollars... NEVER.


109 posted on 06/15/2007 2:24:06 AM PDT by RachelFaith
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To: rightwingextremist1776
How many Mac platforms run data bases that store credit card info, run secure web sites that transact sensitive information, make money transfers, centrally store secrete information,

I think it's more a matter of chip rather than OS. Anyway, why would these sites -- most of which are Unix-based as is OS X -- want the home-consumer-oriented features of OS X?

115 posted on 06/15/2007 6:14:13 AM PDT by Tribune7 (A bleeding heart does nothing but ruin the carpet)
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