Mac OS X Malware

November 21, 2008 at 5:57 pm | In Mac, Sofware/Operating Systems | No Comments

I ran across a news article on Zdnet about a couple of trojans designed for Mac OS X making their way across the internet.  You can hread the article at http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-251586.html .  This sort of supports what I have been telling the people I know.  Macs, as with any computer connected to the internet, are vulnerable to viruses.  There have been other instances of Mac viruses.  In fact, it is believed that this new one is the same as one discovered last year.

“In other respects the Trojan is similar to previous versions of RSPlug, which first surfaced in October 2007, Intego said. It installs a piece of malicious code known as DNSChanger, which routes the user’s internet traffic through a malicious DNS server, leading users to phishing websites or pages displaying advertisements.” 
(Matthew Broersma, ZDNet.co.uk, article linked above)

I will admit, however, that Macs do not get as many viruses as Windows based PCs.  The reason is that there just aren’t as many Macs out there as PCs and a Mac virus would have minimal impact.  But expect to see more viruses as macs become more popular.  My experience working with WIndows based PCs has caused me to form a habit of installing and maintaining antivirus software.  So, I will be installing antivirus software, if I can find some for Mac, as soon as possible.  (Better safe than sorry.)

Apple / Psystar Battle Rages On

August 27, 2008 at 4:23 pm | In Apple, Hardware, Mac, Sofware/Operating Systems | No Comments

Psystar has filed a countersuit stating that Apple’s “tying” of hardware to Mac OS X is anti-competitive.  It will be interesting to see what happens with this. 

Here is an article with more information:  http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9807&tag=nl.e539

What do you think?

Should You Wait for Windows 7?

August 20, 2008 at 10:13 am | In Opinion, Sofware/Operating Systems | No Comments

There has been a lot of talk around the internet about Windows 7.  You will find at least one blog post or article on every tech magazine web site.  The growing popularity of this subject brings up an important question for many Windows users: Should You Wait for Windows 7?

Although there are numerous articles and blog posts about Windows 7, we know little about it.  Microsoft has started a Windows 7 blog but the only information obtained from this blog so far  is that the Windows 7 development group is divided into 25 feature teams.  Most of the other articles and blog posts are all speculation.

So should you wait for Windows 7?  This question is difficult to answer.  Although a lot of people that have upgraded to Windows Vista or bought a new computer with Vista preloaded have had huge problems, there are those few people who have only had minor problems with Vista, many of which were fixed when SP1 was installed. (Myself included.)  Here is my answer:  If you are buying a computer you really have no choice, unless you purchase a Mac or a PC with Linux loaded on it.  However, do not expect a $500 computer from Walmart to be able to  run Vista perfectly.  If you are purchasing a new computer with Vista you should be sure it has at least a dual core processor (Intel is suggested, avoid AMD if possible), 2GB of RAM, and a dedicated graphics card with at least 256MB of RAM (at least 512MB would be better).  If you are not planning on purchasing a new computer soon, I would suggest waiting until you are ready to purchase one.  If you really want Vista and are not able to purchase a new computer be sure that your computer has at least 2GB of RAM and a graphics card.

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