[BNM] The old "Macs immune to exploits and viruses" myth debunked...

[Chris Billett]

> Rus wrote:
> I don't think you'd hear the alarm clock if you set it.

I don't think we've met...

What I'm saying is that there isn't a comparible problem on Macs, and nor
will there suddenly be one so fast that we don't have time to notice and
prepare. (For the record, I manage Macs for several companies, including
multi-nationals, and I am not just talking shit that I haven't researched
and/or run by resepected peers who - no offence - I know a lot better than
most of you)

Have a read of this. It's interesting, if flawed more or less than people
who run around going "OMG-WTF-BBQ there's a MAC VIRUS!"

I've recently taken over the systems of a London agency who have Norton
Antivirus running. Keepign in mind there isn't a sufficient history of
virus' on Macs to develop any kind of meaningful heuristics, what is the
point of having it scan everything that goes on on your computer? Norton
has a history of wiping people's data (google it) during 'routine'
updates. Virex has a history of using between 40-80% of system resources,
and was so bad that *Apple themselves* pulled 7.5 and reverted their .Mac
cover to 7.2 a couple of years back (then dropped it altogether - go
figure).

There are many ways to protect your machines (most of them, in my opinion,
being cultural training of users, and human resources policies against
recruiting utter fuckwits... but that's another discussion) but slapping
on utilities that will cripple your designers, animators and what have you
is somewhat akin to America foreign policy... wait, did I just say that?

Eh, whatevs... I guess what I'm saying is don't judge me for my flippant
comments.

n' I don't need an alarm clock.

:)

CB