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NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE - If your Mac is running OS X, you no doubt already know that Apple's operating system is immune to the Internet ailments that plague Windows, such as spyware, Web-page hijacking and, of course, Windows viruses. And you've probably had a chance to dump Microsoft's tired OS X browser, Internet Explorer, in favor of one the best Web browsers ever designed, Apple's superb Safari. But Safari has company. Firefox, the Web browser favored by millions of Windows users, is available in a version for OS X, as a free download from http://www.mozilla.org.I'm a big Safari fan, but...

Apple on Monday issued a security update for Mac OS X (news - web sites) v10.3.8 that fixes several issues with the operating system, including a vulnerability in the company's Web browser, Safari. The update also addresses several other problems with the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. Of note in the latest update is the International Domain Names (IDN) vulnerability found in Safari. The update prevents look-alike characters from being used to spoof the URL displayed in the address field, SSL certificate or status bar, according to Apple.

Why Viruses Have Trouble Penetrating the Mac The only problem on OS X is from macros with Microsoft products and from mail attachments. These do not harm the Mac environment but may damage a Windows computer if sent. As a normal precaution, I do not open attachments, and trash them instantly. This immunity may not last. It may or may not surprise you, but there are no OS X viruses (or worms or trojans), partly due to the implementation of OS X and its almost-inaccessible Root. Dr. Smoke, who gave me some advice on this subject, gives a clear explanation...

Take a tour of Tiger, the upcoming edition of the world’s most advanced operating system. Arriving the first half of 2005, Tiger boasts features that change how you work, play, search and share on a Mac.

A malicious script that spies on Apple Mac users was discovered over the weekend. The malware, which has been dubbed ‘Opener’ by Mac user-groups, disables Mac OS X’s built-in firewall, steals personal information and can destroy data. Security experts say these traits are common among the thousands of viruses targeting Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system but are virtually unheard of amongst the Apple Macintosh community. Paul Ducklin, Sophos’ head of technology in the Asia Pacific, told ZDNet Australia that the malware, which Sophos calls Renepo, is designed to infect any Mac OS X drives connected to the infected system and...

Let's face it: any script kiddie with a pair of pliers can put Red Hat on a Compaq, his mom's toaster, or even the family dog. But nothing earns you geek points like installing Linux on a dead badger. So if you really want to earn your wizard hat, just read the following instructions, and soon your friends will think you're slick as caffeinated soap.

Annual Technology of the Year Awards Honor 33 Innovative SolutionsSAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2005--Today, InfoWorld announced the recipients of its 2005 Technology of the Year honors. The awards recognize significant technologies of the past year that promise to make the greatest impact on enterprise IT strategies as well as the products that best exemplify the implementation of those technologies. The InfoWorld Technology of the Year awards are not open to outside nominations; only products reviewed by InfoWorld's Test Center during the previous year are eligible. The final selections are made by InfoWorld's Test Center analysts and editors. Winners are...

About Mac OS X Update Mac OS X is the world’s most advanced operating system, blending the power and stability of UNIX with the legendary simplicity and ease-of-use of the Macintosh. Mac OS X version 10.3 “Panther” contains over 150 new features and provides significant enhancements to its modern, UNIX-based foundation. What’s New in this Version The 10.3.7 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 “Panther” and is recommended for all users. Key enhancements include: - improved AFP support for saving documents with long file names - improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA...

Apple Computer's rack-mounted storage system received a vote of confidence Monday, with database giant Oracle endorsing the Xserve RAID as part of an initiative to cut storage costs. Oracle has identified the Apple product as one of several storage systems that would make a good low-cost alternative to the types of high-end monolithic storage systems that have traditionally been used to store Oracle databases. Additionally, Oracle is using the Xserve RAID in its own technology department to store e-mail, voice mail and calendar information. Oracle is using the Xserve RAID for a task once reserved for pricier Fibre Channel-based disk...

Apple Computer on Thursday posted security updates for client and server editions of its Mac OS X that fix 17 vulnerabilities, the second patch in the last five weeks. The flaws range from several in the open-source Apache Web server that's included with the operating system, to bugs in the bundled Safari Web browser that can be used by hackers to disguise bogus URLs and spoof dialog boxes. Although Apple doesn't note the severity of vulnerabilities--as does Microsoft, for instance--security firm Secunia, which also posted an advisory detailing the problems and fixes, labeled it as "highly critical," suggesting it should...

Tiger Presents New Opportunities for Developers by Derrick Story 11/16/2004 I recently had a good phone conversation with Chris Bourdon, the senior product line manager for the Tiger project at Apple Computer. A few days later he was the opening speaker at the O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference. In his feature presentation, "The Tiger Project," Chris provided an inside look at where the Tiger project stands now, and discussed some of its most promising technologies. For those of you who weren't able to attend the conference, I'm going to cover the highlights from his talk, plus incorporate some additional...

Deep study: The world's safest computing environment news alert London, UK - 2 November 2004, 02:30 GMT - The most comprehensive study ever undertaken by the mi2g Intelligence Unit over 12 months reveals that the world's safest and most secure 24/7 online computing environment - operating system plus applications - is proving to be the Open Source platform of BSD (Berkley Software Distribution) and the Mac OS X based on Darwin. This is good news for Apple Computers(AAPL) whose shares have outperformed the benchmark NASDAQ, S&P and Dow indices as well as Microsoft (MSFT) by over 100% in the last...

OCTOBER 26, 2004 (MACCENTRAL) - Virginia Tech's all-Mac OS X supercomputer at the university's Terascale Computing Facility made headlines last year when it was determined to be the third-fastest supercomputer in the world. System X has been upgraded to Apple Computer Inc.'s Xserve G5 server and now runs even faster, with a sustained speed of 12.25 trillion operations per second -- 19% faster than before. Apple debuted the Power Mac G5 in 2003 -- the first computer from the company to feature a 64-bit PowerPC 970 chip manufactured by IBM Corp. -- and a few customers who placed early orders...

Latest update for Macintosh OSX... 10.3.5 now available.

The latest OS X update will have an innovative new search tool that prowls through your files -- and it hints of better things to come Over the years, secretive Apple (AAPL ) CEO Steve Jobs has announced so many surprises during his keynote speeches at the semiannual Macworld confabs that it's a bit of a disappointment when he doesn't have some shocker. Yet, Jobs left everyone hungry for more after his talk at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 28. No eye-catching update of the long-in-the-tooth iMac was unveiled, as many analysts hoped. Heck, after hearing a smattering...

Windows is more secure than you think, and Mac OS X is worse than you ever imagined. That is according to statistics published for the first time this week by Danish security firm Secunia. The stats, based on a database of security advisories for more than 3,500 products during 2003 and 2004 sheds light on the real security of enterprise applications and operating systems, according to the firm. Each product is broken down into pie charts demonstrating how many, what type and how significant security holes have been in each. One thing the hard figures have shown is that OS...

JUNE 09, 2004 (MACCENTRAL) - Apple Computer Inc. today announced three new dual-processor Power Mac G5 configurations, with the fastest model topping out at 2.5 GHz and using a new liquid cooling system. The new high-end systems miss the 3 GHz mark that Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company would achieve at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference, but Tom Boger, Apple's director of Power Mac product marketing, said it came down to a technology challenge that was bigger than expected. Boger also said today that users shouldn't expect to see a PowerBook G5 before the end of the year...

Mac Security Update AvailableFixes Reported LaunchServices VulnerabilityFrom what I can tell, so far, this essentially fixes the reported LaunchServices vulnerability, in much the same way as ParanoidAndroid. It also restores certain telnet functionality that was removed in the previous fix, when it was rushed out.(Note: All of the links below will open in a new window.)Download 900KB Security Update at:http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/securityupdate_2004-06-07_(_10_2_8).htmlThe following is an excerpt from the Apple Support site at:http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798 Security Update 2004-06-07 (Mac OS X 10.3.4 and 10.2.8) Security Update 2004-06-07 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. The purpose of this update...

Key enhancements include: improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PPTP, and wireless networks improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers improved disc burning and recording functionality iPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSync additional FireWire audio and USB device compatibility updated Address Book, Mail, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications improved compatibility for third party applications previous standalone security updates For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: OSX 10.3.4 update info

A security hole still threatens Mac OS X users after a patch issued by Apple Computer last week failed to fix the underlying problem, security experts said on Tuesday. The security issue could allow an attacker to transfer and then run a malicious program on a Mac, if the Mac's user can be enticed to go to a fake Web page on which the program has been placed. "This, in my mind, is the first critical vulnerability on OS X," said Richard Forno, a security researcher and the former chief of security for domain registrar Network Solutions. "Downloading the patch...