Are Mac's inherently safer?

I'll try to keep this short, because I'm sure you're wading through quite a bit of verbiage in terms of responses. The Mac is built on UNIX, which among other things, is known for being solid as a rock when it comes to security. Windows is built on, well, Windows. Nearly all the code is gone from the original Windows release, but it's still the same creaky child-like code that was designed long before anyone thought to connect two computers together.

If you talk with hackers, they'll tell you that at this point the Mac is considered THE prize, because everyone keeps claiming that it can't be done. Still, they don't succeed. So they continue to beat up on Windows because it's EASY to do so. Shoot me if you must for invoking the car analogy, but it fits perfectly here. Two cars sitting in a lot, either one of them could theoretically be stolen. But one has an alarm system, a microchip embedded in the key, a denver boot on the tire, and a lo-jack built in. The other car has the window rolled down, the keys on the seat, and a sign taped to the steering wheel that reads "Go ahead and steal it, I need the insurance money."

Which car do you think is going to get stolen each and every time? The point that so many of you guys miss is that the rampant, almost laughable spread of viruses, spyware, and associated crap is almost entirely a function of the near total lack of security built into, and child-like coding of, Windows. Hackers couldn't have one-tenth this much fun if the dominant operating system weren't such trash.

Come on, does the current state of malware seem like something that would be considered normal? It's an outrageously bad joke, and it simply would not be happening if the dominant operating system were as secure as the Macintosh is. When the Mac has thirty-four percent marketshare instead of four percent, and the hackers are still having one hundred percent of their breakthroughs on the Windows side, then we'll have proof that I'm right about this. Until then, the very fact that there hasn't bee a SINGLE virus successfully written for MacOS X should tell you something.

To think that I spent all that time and effort on an education to become a systems analyst when all I needed to do was stay an ignorant hick and become a tech writer.

I have worked (as in written apps) on everything from PCs (Mac & Wintel) through small mainframes and all their associated operating systems and languages.

In spite of that (probably because of that) I would not have the balls (or the lack of brains) to make a pronouncement that one system "appears" safer because it holds a smaller market share.

What you need to do next is apologise for your ignorance and complete lack of understanding as to what makes a Mac (and by extension any Unix-based operating system) so much less vulnerable than any flavour of Windows.

If you fail to do this don't be too surprised if Leo doesn't get asked to do anything other than sweep the floors in the future.

Leo, don't give up your day job! You clearly don't know what you are talking about when it comes to Macintosh computers. You try to argue their weaknesses based on only a Windows level of knowledge. That's just flawed in so many ways. Go get educated first, then come back and try again. You can "believe" all you want about the Mac OSX having security flaws, but that won't make it so. Keep dreaming. If you don't own a Mac, and don't really have experience with one, how the hell can you say something so stupid as "More than Windows? Fewer than Windows? I don't know, but it doesn't really matter, because they are there." What an asinine statement.

I appreciate your attempt to compare the security of both the windows an dmac os. It's true, almost an computer connected to the internet without proper firewalls, etc. can be exploited and breach. However, you fail to mention that macs are simply much more secure than windows in terms of that breach. Every program installed needs administrative privelges and passwords prior to installation. Additionally, in order to serious hurt the OS you need root access which is by default not accessible without certain admin privleges. True the market share is smaller for the mac user, and that is just one small reason why there are no viruses, trojans, etc. One of the major and overlooked reasons is the mac community. Mac users have seemed to grow into a cult, where they love their system, their hardware, their software, and the sake of just owning a "mac." These users are far more preoccupied with using their mac and creating on it rather than writing viruses for it. It's almost like a double edge sword, where those who love their mac, really love it, and those same people who rather you NOT switch and continue to be a windows lover. We don't need more mac users, but once you are one, you're damn proud of it.

Your choice of computer depends on your needs. gamers really shouldn't buy macs, because there are far more pc games available, but the ability to create those games........can be done on a mac.

Apple is the only company that creates both the hardware and software and that results in things working hand in hand without the faulty problems that windows users experience everyday.

Like I said, I appreciate your attempt to make this comparison, but honestly..........it's like apples and oranges.

Let's see- never owned a Mac but speaks as an expert?
The man is a bloomin' idiot!

I'm not going to restate what everyone else said here... besides the fact that you don't even OWN a Mac and think you know about it. Let alone have you used one for more than a few days in the year or so?

Your ignorance is like me saying this: I'm gonna say Ford cars suck but I own a TOYOTA.

Please.... are you kidding me?

I also think it's pretty immature to play the game of "how many anti-me comments I'll get.

You sir, are an idiot. You have not researched anything. You haven't even tried a Mac in a real world enviroment. Why not have some FACTS before writing this purely opinion column? Ask-Leo.Com lost whatever credibility it had.

Next time, do a comparison. Get a Mac, with the latest version of OS X on it. With all the updates. Get a Windows XP machine, with the latest service packs. Use both for a week, and see which has a virus or problems.

In order to understand the underlying differences between Mac OS X (Unix) security and Windows security you need only read this article:

http://macdailynews.com/index.php?URL=http://www.icefox.net/articles/why_microsoft_market_share_wont_grow.php

OS X is not secure through obscurity. Any Unix virus or malware would work against a Mac, and the Unix (all flavors combined) market share rivals that of Windows. Unix is simply designed for security with multiple users where Windows never has been and so far, will not be in the future with Vista. The difference is the presence of a registry. Windows is a house with no interior doors locked and some windows left open. Mac OS X is a house with all the doors and windows locked, even the interior ones. Break into the Mac house and you find yourself in a locked broom closet. Crawl into the Windows house through one of the open windows and you have the run of the place.

OK, time to put this to an end. I'm closing comments on this thread.
Folks are now basically just repeating the same sentiments over and
over.

As I read them the comments are best summarized as:

- Leo's an idiot

- Market share has nothing to do with it.

- Leo has no idea what he's talking about.

- OS/X is based on Unix, and therefore inherrently better than Windows.
It's simply a more secure operating system, period.

- Leo's an idiot.

- Windows sucks.

- "Macs" is not possessive. It is plural.

I *do* want to thank the folks who posted rational, informative counter
arguments. They're an important, and educational, perspective.

I definitely did expect there to be discussion on this topic. I will
say, however, that I'm disappointed that it got as personal and as
emotional as it did.