Which Mac Book?

Hammyman

mrochester wrote: »

Care to evidence this? The only reference I can find to a virus on OSX is the Leap virus, and even that was just malware as you had to run an installer to get it going (the point at which vigilance would have stopped it in it's tracks).

Here's an interesting quote in relation to Mac security.

He is correct. MacDefender spawned a variant that installs without asking permission. However there are only a handful of things for the Mac, all of which are being dealt with.

The rest of his post, like his knowledge, is worthless.

Hammyman

suicidebob wrote: »

Probably something to do with them having the best build quality, best support, best re-sale value, lack of malware and virii, lack of Windows, best battery life.

You bought your Macs to look cool. Fortunately not everyone is as shallow as that.

Indeed. I bought mine because it has a solid aluminium body. Yesterday it survived yet another fall off the chair arm of a type most Windows based laptops would not survive other than the business class ones that cost MORE than Macbook Pros do.

mrochester

Hammyman wrote: »

He is correct. MacDefender spawned a variant that installs without asking permission. However there are only a handful of things for the Mac, all of which are being dealt with.

The rest of his post, like his knowledge, is worthless.

It still isn't a virus if it's having to be downloaded and installed and this can still be prevented by being vigilant.

Indeed. I bought mine because it has a solid aluminium body. Yesterday it survived yet another fall off the chair arm of a type most Windows based laptops would not survive other than the business class ones that cost MORE than Macbook Pros do.

The build quality, battery life and slim design were the reasons I bought my MBP. I also wanted to try OSX!

jayme1

for the OP:

both 13 and 15 inch models have just been upgraded (ie they both have thunderbolt connectors and sandy bridge) so you can buy either safe that an upgrade isn't going to happen in the next few months.

as for the difference between the 15 and 13 inch, the 15 does have quad core (compared to the dual core of the 13inch) but it also has a dedicated ATI GPU which if you were going to do any major gaming or video editing you would definately need.

but if you are just going to be using it for word documents, internet surfing and watching video/DVDs than the 13 inch would be perfect.
infact if you just wanted it just for documents, internet and watching videos then you are pretty much wasting you money getting the 2.7 13 inch when the 2.3GHz one would be more than enough.

also I wouldn't bother upgrading the RAM as 4GB should be more than enough and when it becomes not enouth you will probably be wanting a whole new computer by then

what I would say though is hold off untill July when OS X Lion comes out and comes preinstalled (yes you get the upgrade for free if you buy it now, but I personally would prefer (when the release is this close) to have it come on it already and not have to faf with the backup then upgrade routine)

kissaragi

Your brave to post a mac question on any non mac forum, the fanboys like to come out and play!

Id say go for the 13" macbook pro if the screen is big enough. Both the air and the standard macbook are due for updates, so unless you wanted to wait, id stick with the pros. If you money to spare you could upgrade to an SSD in the 13" to really make it feel fast.

flexrider

Hammyman wrote: »

Thankyou for confirming that the reality is you know nothing. It is the OPERATING SYSTEM that is the deciding factor in security, not the hardware.

Your right, I know nothing just a CCNA certifed in Network Operating Security for the fun of it

You missed my point anyway any machine can get a virus regardless of operating system it Runs,

The only Reason Mac has never been targeted like windows has over the year because everyone was mostly using Windows. However The scale of that will change soon

23n1th

mrochester wrote: »

It doesn't matter what hardware is inside the machine, any virus or malware has to be coded for the operating system that it is running. There are currently no viruses for OSX, but there is malware. However, the difference between a virus and malware is that malware must be actively installed by the user. This is done so by tricking the user into installing something (as per the Mac Defender app in the link above) and currently the only cure for this is vigilence. If something is asking to install that you didn't request or doesn't come from a trusted source, DON'T INSTALL IT!

M.

You're a little confused it seems, a virus is malware. The term malware includes: computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or programs.

Macs can get viruses.

MacDefender has the ablitiy to install itself on certain systems if the user has enabled "open 'safe' files after downloading". So by your own definition (flawed as it is) it is a virus.

mrochester wrote: »

Care to evidence this? The only reference I can find to a virus on OSX is the Leap virus, and even that was just malware as you had to run an installer to get it going (the point at which vigilance would have stopped it in it's tracks).

Vigilance can stop malware on windows PCs as well. You need to brush up on you're terminology.

mrochester wrote: »

It still isn't a virus if it's having to be downloaded and installed and this can still be prevented by being vigilant.

Thats wrong, the definition of a virus doesn't mention anything to do with not having to install it yourself. There are a variety of ways viruses can infect computers.

Not to mention the ostrich approach mac users and apple in general take to security cultivates all-round less vigilant users.

mrochester

You're a little confused it seems, a virus is malware. The term malware includes: computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or programs.

Macs can get viruses.

MacDefender has the ablitiy to install itself on certain systems if the user has enabled "open 'safe' files after downloading". So by your own definition (flawed as it is) it is a virus.

I always think of viruses as infections that occur and spread without any user interaction. Perhaps I should have used the terms spyware and adware.

Any evidence of a Mac virus?

The MacDefender issue is still a question of vigilance. Turning off a setting on your computer to keep it protected is just the same as turning something on to do the same thing. This doesn't change the definition of what MacDefender is. MacDefender also doesn't have the ability to reproduce itself, so it isn't a virus.

Vigilance can stop malware on windows PCs as well. You need to brush up on you're terminology.

Education and vigilance are key. The weakest link in any computer setup is the user.

Not to mention the ostrich approach mac users and apple in general take to security cultivates all-round less vigilant users.

Sadly the opposite approach on Windows PCs doesn't seem to have helped them either. There's simply an endemic lack of understanding of the risks.

dx052

PM wrote: »

I'm looking to get a mac book, first I was going for Air but now decided to stick with Pro as I see it lasting test of time in 5 yrs in my hands.

But which one Macbook Pro 13-inch: 2.7 GHz vs. 15-inch: 2.0 GHz?

13 or 15 inch when size doesn't matter? lol.

Just found out 15 is quad but not sure as I thought 13 was faster in store.

I had a MBP till very recently thinking the samething, cost me £1300 at the time, although it did not last 5 years but 3. The bill to repair it was not justified, so I got rid of it & felt a bit cheated. Don't get me wrong it was a great laptop however they are very expensive pieces of kit. I was using it for music, if I was on the road I could probably justify it & would like the piece of mind but I am not.

I am back using a PC laptop now which I bought used for £160 secondhand & I am quiet content with it. It does what I need it to do.

23n1th

mrochester wrote: »

Any evidence of a Mac virus?

MacDefender seeing as we are using our own definitions.

The MacDefender issue is still a question of vigilance...

So is malware protection on every other platform.

... Turning off a setting on your computer to keep it protected is just the same as turning something on to do the same thing. This doesn't change the definition of what MacDefender is. MacDefender also doesn't have the ability to reproduce itself, so it isn't a virus.

Thats because malware has evolved from kids who wanted to make a name for themselves by causing as much destruction as possible to making money. I don't think you'll find any traditional viruses on macs because its all about money now, not destruction. These people want to keep the user unaware, botnets, rootkits etc etc.

Sadly the opposite approach on Windows PCs doesn't seem to have helped them either. There's simply an endemic lack of understanding of the risks.

Thats hardly fair, its helped a lot on windows pcs. The difference is windows users don't deny and ignore the problem like the majority of mac users. Saying "theres no mac viruses" is not helpful because its not about that now.