“The last few days have been embarrassing ones for Windows alternatives. Apple released a series of vulnerability disclosures and updates rivaling any put out by Microsoft and the Mozilla Group had to contend with a leaked ‘highly critical’ vulnerability disclosure,” Larry Seltzer scribbles for eWeek.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple fixed issues before anyone was affected. As usual. There are zero Mac OS X viruses in the wild. No Mac OS X user has ever been affected by a virus. In Seltzer’s mind, if indeed, he has one, does this not differ evenly slightly from the repeated Windows’ security messes that actually affect millions of Windows users? Larry’s selling “crazy” here. We’re not buying.
Seltzer continues scribbling, “The mainstream press, not just the trade press, has been advising users to move to Firefox and the Mac in order to avoid the security problems that plague Windows users, and that may be good advice—for now. But a careful look at the last six months or so indicates that in terms of actual security problems there’s not much of a difference between the platforms. Windows is a bigger target primarily because of its installed base.”
MacDailyNews Take: “A careful look at the last six months or so indicates that in terms of actual security problems there’s not much of a difference between the platforms?” What?! What?! What?!! Obviously, Larry could take a careful look at his ass and his elbow and not be able to tell the difference between them, either. Perhaps Larry really just needs to Sober.P up?
Is this really the best they’ve got? This tripe isn’t gonna hold you for 18+ months until you can pretend Longhorn has once again “caught up” and is “as good as a Mac,” guys.
“Mac security is due to obscurity” is a myth. There are 15 million Mac OS X users. Zero viruses. If Mac is equal to Windows in security, shouldn’t Macs have 5% of the world’s viruses instead of 0%? Seltzer continues shoveling through the rest of his ridiculous article. His article’s such a load of crap, though, that we’re not even going to bother to continue commenting on the rest of it. Read it for yourself, or not, here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Microsoft Windows Sober.P worm shows ‘epidemic’ spread; Macintosh unaffected – May 03, 2005
Apple touts Mac OS X security advantages over Windows – April 13, 2005
New ‘highly critical’ Office flaw embarrasses Microsoft – April 13, 2005
97,467 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – April 05, 2005
Symantec details flaws in its antivirus software – March 30, 2005
Motley Fool writer: ‘I’d be surprised if Symantec ever sells a single product to a Mac user again’ – March 24, 2005
Symantec cries wolf with misplaced Mac OS X ‘security’ warning – March 23, 2005
Symantec’s Mac OS X claims dismissed as nonsense, FUD – March 22, 2005
Symantec warns about Mac OS X security threat – March 21, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X is virus-free – March 18, 2005
68,736 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – March 12, 2005
Microsoft tries to turn its own security flaw into commercial gain – February 25, 2005
Cybersecurity advisor Clarke questions why anybody would buy from Microsoft – February 18, 2005
Microsoft’s Gates espouses homogenous operating system environments for better security – February 07, 2005
Windows’ mounting security problems make some consumers eager to purchase Macs – January 03, 2005
Windows Media songs and videos found to carry Windows malware payloads – December 30, 2004
Anzae/Inzae worm affects all Windows versions after 3.1; Macintosh unaffected – December 28, 2004
Unlike Windows users, Mac OS X users surf the Internet without a care in the world – December 28, 2004
Multiple unpatched Windows holes crop up; Windows systems compromised within minutes in experiment – December 24, 2004
Windows spyware mess is out of control, get a Mac and surf with impunity – December 21, 2004
New Microsoft Internet Explorer exploit spoofs Web sites on fully patched Windows XP systems – December 17, 2004
Microsoft may charge extra for Windows spyware protection software – December 16, 2004
Detroit Free Press: Windows malware problem getting worse, it’s time to get a Mac instead – December 16, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware headaches? Get a Mac and surf the Internet freely – December 13, 2004
Mossberg: Windows PCs plagued with problems, Apple’s Mac is ‘rock solid, elegant and affordable’ – December 09, 2004
Security expert: Don’t use Microsoft Windows, Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer – December 09, 2004
Security test: Windows XP system easily compromised while Apple’s Mac OS X stands safe and secure – November 30, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware infecting your PC? Don’t fret, just get a Mac – November 01, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Spyware plagues Windows users while Mac users surf Net with impunity – November 01, 2004
Ballmer blames Windows users for not upgrading systems as Microsoft’s biggest security problem – October 22, 2004
Windows users line up to pay for spyware removal; Mac users surf Web with impunity – October 18, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Windows users’ security woes spark interest in Apple’s secure Mac OS X – October 06, 2004
Windows desktop monopoly threatened by secure, safe Apple Mac OS X – October 04, 2004
Even Bill Gates can’t avoid Windows malware; Mac users surf the Web freely – October 03, 2004
Cyber-security adviser uses Apple Macintosh to avoid Windows’ security woes – September 27, 2004
Information Security Investigator says switch from Windows to Mac OS X for security – September 24, 2004
Mossberg: Apple iMac G5 ‘powerful, affordable, virus-free with better, more modern OS than Windows XP’ – September 23, 2004
USA Today: people are switching from Windows to Mac because of security issues – September 21, 2004
Windows besieged by hackers; number of Windows viruses soars by more than 400% – September 20, 2004
USA Today columinst angry about Windows viruses, adware, spyware – September 15, 2004
University of Chicago recommends all students patch Windows at least once a day – September 14, 2004
Windows XP worm speaks to users as it deletes their files; Macintosh unaffected – September 13, 2004
Security is top priority in Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2004
Millions of Windows PC’s hijacked by hackers, turned into zombies; Macintosh unaffected – September 08, 2004
Mossberg: Dump your Windows machine and get an Apple Macintosh to free yourself of spyware – August 25, 2004
Tired of patching patches to patch Windows patches? Writer suggests getting a Mac – August 03, 2004
Windows ‘Scob’ virus designed to steal financial data, passwords; Macintosh unaffected – June 26, 2004
Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
Spyware, adware plague Windows users online; Mac OS X users surf freely – April 19, 2004
SmartMoney: Long-suffering Windows users can only dare to dream of Mac’s ease-of-use – February 12, 2004
Mac OS X has no viruses; what’s wrong with Windows? – February 11, 2004
Gates: Windows ‘by far the most secure’ system; tries to use ‘Mac OS X secure through obscurity’ myth – January 27, 2004
Columnist tries the ‘security through obscurity’ myth to defend Windows vs. Macs on virus front – October 1, 2003
New York Times: Mac OS X ‘much more secure than Windows XP’ – September 18, 2003
Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg on making the switch from Windows to Mac – September 18, 2003
Fortune columnist: ‘get a Mac’ to thwart viruses; right answer for the wrong reasons – September 02, 2003
Shattering the Mac OS X ‘security through obscurity’ myth – August 28, 2003
Is Mac OS X really inherently more secure than Windows? – August 26, 2003
Chicago Sun-Times columnist: Windows ‘many holes in its security’ but ‘none of my Macs have ever been affected – August 26, 2003
Sick of worms and viruses? ‘Move to Mac OS X’ suggests Chicago Tribune columnist – August 25, 2003
Virus and worm problems not just due to market share; Windows inherently insecure vs. Mac OS X – August 24, 2003
Trace this guy’s bank account. I’d bet that he has a line coming directly from MicroS@#t.
Idiot
MW: running, as Microsoft and their cronies are running scared.
this guy really needs to clean the crap off his from kissing the ass of bill gates before spewing it out to everyone else.
get some perspective.
Well, I wasted five minutes of my time sludging through Seltzer’s digital diareah and, frankly, the only thing I came away with were amorous thoughts of Triumph….
MDNMW: late – as in: I am not too late to be the first post, amI?
I Wonder if little Bill or big Bill paid him? Had to be one of the dumb bas@#rds. Anything you can do Apple does better, Apple does everything better than you.
My 2 cents.
Geez… MDN seeks new childish lows, this is just plain stupidity. Whoever writes this stuff has valid points, yet words them like a total moron. Idiotic, really, and that reflects on all us Mac users. I’m permanently removing MDN from my bookmarks. There’s plenty of other sites to get all these tidbits of news without the childish commentary.
Take a look at eWeek’s supposed “Macintosh” page:
http://www.eweek.com/category2/0,1738,1237905,00.asp
They’re obviously a propaganda arm of the MS machine.
4 words:
Less. Credibility. Than. Thurrott.
To Bah — good riddance.
MS has gotten away with murder from the media for years. If MDN wants to hit back through ridicule — even if it comes from readers — it is fine with me.
Perhaps once the “emperor has no clothes” message gets spread around, the “virus and bug filled monster” that is windows will finally be held to account.
Don’t let the door hit you on your *ss on the way out!
Dumbass
i live for the childish commentary.
It’s important to understand “media” folks. They struggle to find an “angle” or a perspective that breeds interest. Conflict breeds interest. If there’s not any real conflict, they’ll make it up, or twist a situation to make something appear different than it really is.
MDN found an excellent example in the trash put out by eWeek.
Another is also found on the eWeek Macintosh section; an article by Andreas Pfeiffer. While the headline is a grabber and the premise interesting, there’s little substance there.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1751281,00.asp
Note the byline and date. January 13. Just after the Mac mini was announced. While I believe in the “trojan horse” theory and plan to pick up a Mac mini as soon as Tiger’s on it, there’s little of interest other than a sub-headline: “Read more here about whether the Mac mini can gain enterprise traction.”
Oooooooh. Boy, that’s interesting. Yeah, I’m a Mac lover. Let’s see what the Mac mini (not released yet at the time of the article) can do in the Enterprise. Oooooooh. Like, that’ll happen.
However, Pfeiffer ends:
“In its time, the Macintosh LC was extremely popular in publishing houses, because it was a perfect cheap computer for copy editors and writers. The Mac mini would perfectly fill that spot.
Time will tell how these different themes play out. But it seems clear today that the Mac mini is more than simply a cheaper version of the Macintosh.”
We all pretty much knew that anyway, right? But this guy gets paid to tell us that. Others get paid for twisting facts and figures into something that’s deemed “interesting” by an editor and it gets published. They have a forum and can publish. It’s always been that way.
Now, however, readers have a forum, too. And we can publish about the publishers.
It’s fun.
Tera Patricks
Mac360
yup this is the definitely the mac site with the spiciest flavor out there.. that’s why i read it!
He doesn’t have any facts about Apple right that’s for sure. Just another Microsoft user trying to paint a bleak picture on Apple and doing a bad job of it. He’s trying to make Microsoft look better by saying there aren’t enough Mac users to to cause any security issues. But then he contradicts himself right at the begining by saying Microsoft and Apple platforms are equal in security issues. NOT!!! Apple is like Fort Knox while Microsoft is like DisneyLand for all the viruses, trojans, and spyware to play.
It’s so disheartening to continue to read articles by people that are supposed to be able to research subjects they are not proficient in and convey the truth (even if it’s an opinion column, it should still contain truths) to their audience.
This guy must have grown up in a school district that used Windows in the class room….
Heh. People like Bah, who complain about the only truly entertaining Mac site on the web, can go read MacNN or MacObserver. Just try not to snore too loudly — we’re trying to enjoy ourselves over here.
MDN: “Larry’s selling “crazy” here. We’re not buying.”
Yeah, go and peddle your crazy someplace else – we’re full up here!
Seltzer is a schmuck.
He used his blog to criticize Apple for not making it possible to buy an iTunes gift card at the Apple Store, and to make cheap shot comments about Apple beyond just that “problem”. When I pointed out to him on his blog that the gift card was always there, and asked for an apology to Apple, I got nothing.
Yep, he’s a schmuck. Worthless drivel. I don’t read any of his stuff or ecrap anymore. There are others who have much greater insight into security matters than him.
Another set of pseudo-intellectual drivel for the dustbin of history…
What a tool.
Like others have posted, if you just look at their Mac Section main page, you are hard pressed to find even one positive headline to any of their stories about Apple. Come on, not one good thing to say! Please! Is that why Apple is doing so great? Because they sell such crap products? Their site reminds me of some sort of old Soviet propaganda PR. In spite of all the great things Apple is able to do they just deny it. It’s hard to believe.
Oh well. Later Comrades!
“How long can you get away with it? How long can you run on a Mac, or use Firefox on Windows, and expect to avoid security problems?”
Um, 5 years and counting Larry. Still ZERO malware for OS X. Even if we got one measly virus, the Mac would only be 80,000 times better cuz there are 80,000 windows viruses out there – yes EIGHTY THOUSAND. If things got unthinkably bad on the Mac platform and there were 80 viruses out there, it would only be EIGHT THOUSAND TIMES BETTER. This guy deserves to be on windows – a second rate writer for a second rate system.
Bah…
Boo-hoo go home you little cry baby.
Windows ruined my morning today.
I wanted to book some bus seats but the companys (windows) servers were down.
I then went to the cash machine and it crashed (with my card in it), the bank clerk was very polite and was able to reboot the machine and my card was returned 15 minutes later. It was a Windows screen that flashed up during the reboot.
When I got home I went to check my email but got no joy. After repeated attempts I phoned the ISP and was told that they had hand a massive server crash. Windows again.
I would imagine that these are not isolated incidents and that sooner or later the world will wise up?
eWeek <i>appears</b> to have a bent against Tiger. In fact, the only stories that I have read in the last two weeks from it have covered security (or lack thereof) in OS X.
Can someone – anyone – point me to what we would consider to be a favorable story?
Um, maybe you can just put up the top ten related articles.
Ease up on eWeek. They have some good articles. Sure there headlines are skewed to sound negative but if you read most of those articles they come off as rather positive. Will Tiger Hurt Apple? The conclusion of the article is, no, it won’t. And so on with many of the other similarly negative headlined articles. Believe me, their current coverage is much better than it was five years ago, which was nil.