.:Computer Defense:.

Me again!

OK two last things as I think we have now addressed nearly all your FUD if people bother to read between the flaming and notice what you had no response to.

i) According to your link not only did they need to use an unecessary third party peripheral with Microsoft – style sloppily coded drivers, but they also needed to put the card into active scanning mode.
So they'd need access to the actual Mac and need to be logged in in the first place!
Or happen to be trying to perform their 'hack' when it's in that mode (typically only when you first connect to the local network and for about 30secs)
Wow, what a huge vulnerability. Far worse than those typically reported for any Windows build.
Silly me, it must be Macs that account for all the Bot nets.

ii) I forgot to riposte earlier; Stealth mode.
When visiting a site that is not fully trusted or taking part in an IM/IRC chat surely it's considered more secure to be in a mode where no unauthorised code is exchanged and no details of your platform/browser/net id/IP address are given thus giving malicious people no info to go on about the best way to try and ruin your day.
Not that they can currently do anything to me.
But it's yet another security feature that's provided 'just in case'.

PS it seems to me a lot of your dissatifaction with your Mac Mini boils down to;
a) not enough included memory.

I quite agree they should have more as standard although if you had a comparable Dell with the same specs and Vista it wouldn't do nearly as much at once. Heck it'd hardly run!

b) It doesn't work like a Windows machine so you don't always know where stuff is.

Funnily enough I always find if you put a total novice in front of OSX they're up and running very quickly and are far less hesitant to play with everthing than if you put them in front of a Windows machine.

I also find if you put an MCSE in front of one they complain t'il the cows come home basically cos it's not what they've got used to.
A few simple pointers along the lines of 'why would you have to do that? Just look where it would be sensible to put it, not where you're used to it being. & Just try what seems like a simple way to achieve it." has them saying things like "oh, is that all you do" but usually leaves them unsettled because they haven't clicked through enough dialog boxes or had to do enough typing or selecting.

Oh well, to each his own, but do try and get the facts right.

As a note.. I'm starting to limit the comments on this blog and delete any of the ones that are just insults… I think I've been enough of a sport with publishing them… I could also use them to demonstrate the tactics that some Mac users resort to… but I won't do that either.. I'm just not going to acknowledge them from this point on..

That being said I have four of you to address… justsaying, Zekel, LimeyBloke, Martin and Steve…

I'll try to respond to all of it, let me know if I've missed anything:

justsaying: Thanks for the clarification

Zekel: Yes those are user preference, however isn't it to look and feel that's always said to have convinced the "know nothing illiterates" to switch to Macs? (forgive the term.. but it's the easiest and shortest way to describe them)..

(I'm not addressing the Virtualization and EULA vs SLA issue because I think w have to agree to disagree… I see them as both being bottom of the line, money grabs and treat them both the same way… )

I agree that the advertising campaign is targeted to Windows users…

The firewall is enabled by default in XP SP 2.

Thanks for the link to the Window Application Switcher

LimeyBloke (and anyone else who the wifi issue was addressed with)… I'll point you towards <a href="http://projects.info-pull.com/mokb/MOKB-01-11-2006.html" rel="nofollow">MOKB #1</a>

Martin: reread this thread… plenty of people have referred to Vista as XP with pretty graphics

Steve:

On Security (this can also apply for other people): If you want features in Vista that aren't present in OS X… How about ASLR, DEP and Patchguard? How about a built in anti-malware client..

As for the Admin account being default previously… yes it was… but Windows relied on users to create their own account… Users didn't do that…

As for UAC… I get popups from it about as infrequently as I do from my Mac… So I'm still not sure why the Mac community is attacking this.

On Virtualization: Your comments are fair… However they could do Vista in Bootcamp and XP in Parallels.. A properly configured XP is plenty secure for the internet.

As for the two things I continually ignore:

I. I've actually mentioned this a couple of times in my comments.. that ever 10.x is a different operating system.. not just an upgrade I realize this and address this. However everyone else wants to discuss them as a single OS… so I'm going to use that to my advantage…

II. The issue here is that Apple is not simply a hardware vendor… they do both… Do I know my mini needs more ram… of course I do.. but with Dell, for example, they are a hardware vendor.. the OS is of no concern to them.. Apple well the OS and hardware are of concern to them…. so they should sell a machine that can handle itself initally (yes I realize it's a mini)…

I've heard of 1Ghz PCs with 1GB RAM running vista… so I bet a 600Mhz PC with 1GB of RAM could… Maybe not with full aero support… but I'm sure it would run it.

As for how it looks antiquated.. I find it very Window 3.1ish… Especially things like an Applications Folder… (again this is just personal opinion)

You mention your girlfriend's dislike of OS X*. The things you mention: application launching, lack of task bar, these are personal preferences. Nevermind the fact that you could put the Applications folder in the dock and use that as a launch list, and there is an application called Witch (link below) that shows all running windows by program, similar to what the task bar (theoretically) shows you. (I think it's hard to use the taskbar effectively if you have more than half a dozen windows open.) The point is that OS X makes some decisions that differ from Windows. Having application-wide menu ensure that you always know how to quit a program, rather than trusting the developers not to invent their own method (I've seen some good ones) and Fitt's law. I like it. Although you can probably address most switcher angst and customize it how you like, it won't fit everybody. That's just personal preference.

One thing that is interesting to me is Vista advertisements. The features: Security, Instant Search, Attractive Usable GUI, Good for Laptops(?), Collaboration, Photos, Backup, Easy Networking, Encryption, DVD Authoring, 3 new Games, Movie Authoring.

Those are paraphrased from Microsoft's edition comparison page (link below). Can you really see a Mac user getting very excited about any of that? Mac viruses and malware aren't a problem. (Vista is fixing a problem that exists on XP, not OS X), Spotlight, Aqua (I bet it gets revamped in 10.5, too.) The laptop-specific features don't seem that hot. Collaboration isnt built-in, but there are inexpensive solutions for most things. iPhoto, Time Machine (of the future!), networking is pretty damn easy, File Vault, iDVD, and iMovie. Granted, games is a sore spot, but they are advertising is three starter games that seem like they are of minesweeper caliber – not that big of a deal. And you can run Windows under boot camp to play any game you want, if you're that into it (again, just a choice).

My point is that the advertisements are going to be much more effective on existing Windows customers than Mac customers (cheap shot http://daringfireball.net/2002/10/microsofts_answer_to_ellen_feiss). If you admit that OS X and Vista are equivalent in a lot of features (although I would add much more to a list for OS X) you can't help but feel the sting of history. If these are features that you want or need to upgrade to a new OS for, up until this point OS X was the product that could provide them, not Windows.

&gt;&gt;If OS X doesn’t do everything for you… why run it in the first place?? The “cool factor”?

If you like the way it works, and find the drawbacks of the alternative undesireable, of course you want to run it. Same goes for anything. This seems like a slam on OS X for not being perfect. That's kind of silly. Wait until 10.5, then slam it for not being perfect.

&gt;&gt; It actually has security measures built in (unlike OS X) Microsoft has taken security seriously.

Saying that OS X doesn't have *any* security measures built-in is pretty far fetched. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good. I'm more concerned with the end result, rather than how "serious" some companies. Bottom line is I know a great deal of Windows users who complain about security issues and not so many Mac users. As far as Vista, we'll have to wait a while to judge how well it does in the real world.

(http://tech.blorge.com/Structure: /2007/02/06/microsofts-vista-anti-virus-solution-slammed/)
&gt;Microsoft’s much-hyped anti-virus solution, Live OneCare…failed to pass a series of tests that are required to achieve [Virus Bulletin]’s VB100 certification.

Virus Bulletin doesn't seem to be a fly by night security firm, at least according to wiipedia. While not 100% condemning, it's not exactly a good thing.

I don't think name calling on either side helps. You make quite a lot of broad generalizations to that effect in the original post. Mention it if you like, but it seems to be a large source of proof for your arguments.

You argue that emulation is a business technology. I disagree. Emulation let's you run something else. That could be quickbooks, or it could be genealogy software.

* I'm really curious how OS X looks antiquated next to Windows. To me, one of the most striking differences is the text anti-aliasing. Comparing the same web page on Windows and OS X really makes Windows look old, at least to me.

Vista Comparisons Page
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx?wt_svl=20052a&amp;mg_id=20052b

Witch, a window/application switcher
http://www.manytricks.com/witch/

Louis,

I approved your comment… but I'm not going to reply to much of it… There are a couple reasons but I'll rely on another Mac user who's been posting here to back me up…

Martin said, "anyone reasonable would not refer to Vista as XP with pretty graphics" (<a rel="nofollow" href="#comment-2599" rel="nofollow">posted here</a>)

Other reasons.. I still don't know that I consider NeXTStep (and therefore OS X) to be a modern OS…

I don't agree that Apple is becoming a major Microsoft competitor.. not yet anyways… Are they excelling in non-computer areas.. Yep.. but in the computer market.. they aren't a major competitor yet.. Perhaps when they have <a rel="nofollow" href="http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=5" rel="nofollow">closer to a 25% market share</a> I'll consider them a serious competitor.

I don't agree that Apple is 5 years ahead of Microsoft in OS Development and your sources on Vista are "<strong>disgruntled</strong> Microsoft employees".. Disgruntled being the keyword…

You also say "WinCE is a joke" without any backing that up… something I've been attacked for when I haven't said anything that out there… Although I'll point you towards <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx" rel="nofollow">Windows Mobile</a>…

One last thing, I'd like to point you to <a rel="external nofollow" href="http://www.calendarofupdates.com/" rel="nofollow">John Galt</a><a rel="nofollow" href="#comment-2661" rel="nofollow">'s post above</a> for reference on running Vista with Aero on an older PC (circa 2002).

Hi As I see it,
I mostly agree what what you said. The last thing that Microsoft wants is direct competition in PC OS's from Apple and Apple is unlikely to do that.

The real indication of their motivations come from where each gets their money. 80% of Microsoft's money come from Windows sales to OEM's while Apple gets their money from Hardware sales. It makes no sense for Microsoft to start making PC's like Dell or HP, or for Apple to start selling Mac OSX to OEM's. Dell or HP might like Apple to sell its OS to them, since that unshackles them from Microsoft, but that is very unlikely.

Apple can get away with allowing Windows XP to run in BootCamp or Parallels, because it is a "come on." Personal preferences aside, next to nobody who seriously tries the Macintosh for three months will go back to Windows. It takes that long to unlearn the "Windows" way of doing things. And as long as Apple stays ahead of Microsoft in OS development, the migration will be from the Windows side to the Mac. Eventually, even Windows zealots like HTRegz will convert. He's not a dummy, just brainwashed.

"I think Microsoft’s best interest should be to allow anyone to virtualize “Vista Home” on Parallels."

You would think so, but Microsoft is a monopolist. It doesn't want you to directly compare its Windows OS to Mac OSX on Apple hardware, because the comparison is unfavorable. That is why it broke so many things in Vista.

Microsoft will also try to avoid Virtualization of its software by charging more for the possibility of doing so. MS has made it difficult to use Windows inside Xen, but IBM and Intel collaborated recently to provide a hardware solution that makes it easier for a Hypervisor to place calls to Windows. That way the Windows OS doesn't even know that it is sharing a computer with another OS.

"If they don’t, they could lose some sales. To offset the loss they must convince enough people to buy the more expensive “Vista IDon’tRememberWhich Edition”. "

Microsoft wants people to stick with the "devil they know." I suspect that they are trying to confuse the issue so that they can milk the most money from their customers. The Longhorn fiasco cost them $7 billion in return for nothing and Microsoft's customers must be forced to pay for it.

Most people will get Vista when they buy a new computer, because upgrading is too confusing. Even to upgrade a two year old computer to Areo Vista will likely cost $250 plus the cost of the software according to PC World.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128930-pg,1/article.html

That means that upgrading an older computer to Areo Vista will cost $500 to $600, so why not buy a new $1200 to $1500 computer? Microsoft, naturally, wants that computer to be a Dell, HP or Lenovo, not Apple.

Apple is acting like a marauder: it is picking off converts from the periphery of the Microsoft herd. Apple doesn't want the low end computer or the enterprise market or the high end games yet. What it wants is the most profitable half of the consumer, creative and education markets. It's hardware is competing well against Sony, IBM, HP and Dell. Value conscious customers are increasingly turning to Apple.

Apple is on a high growth rate in market share (26% annually) while the market is almost flat (5%.) Apple's Consumer Electronics offering's are doing quite well (iPod, iTunes Store etc) and Apple will be expanding that segment with a bunch of new offerings (iPhone, Apple TV, etc.)

The projected market share for Apple in 2010 is to double what it currently has (5% of the US market and under 3% of the world market.) Apple will have some difficulty supplying that growth, because it doesn't want to grow too fast. Fast growth always introduces inefficiencies that come back to bite you. Apple is small enough that doubling its market share is comparatively easy. And doubling its market cap from doubling its sales at its high profit margins, will make it bigger than Microsoft by 2011 or 2012.

If you look at this link it it wouild appear that home editions are fine to run in v'tion, but the 'higher end' versions have the restriction.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/104107/vista-home-virtualisation-is-a-technology-tax-parallels.html

"Besides I believe that other users are sitting here telling me that OS X runs fine on any released Mac… now you’re telling me that it needs 1GB of RAM to operate?"

Those are two seperate issues, aren't they? Some G3 iMacs with plenty of RAM can run Panther fine. Mac OS X, just like Windows, does better with more RAM. In the case of Mac OS X, al least, less RAM means that the computer must use virtual memory more often if more applications are open.

Also, check this out:

http://marmadukeexplained.blogspot.com/