“The silent minority has finally spoken. Yes, Mac users do know how to make some noise. I wrote last week about my foray into the world of Windows XP and virus protection, anti-spam programs, spyware, adware and every other type of protection that PC users must be aware of,” Al Gobes writes for The Las Vegas Review Journal. “What I didn’t explain clearly enough (in the eyes of many Apple devotees) is that Macintosh computers are exempt from these worries. I knew it, because I’ve been using Apple computers since before the Mac was born.”
Gibes writes: Here’s a bit of what the Mac fanatics said about their easy-operating machines:
“Shouldn’t you say that Macs are ‘virus free’ instead of ‘relatively free’ at least until someone actually does, if ever, develop a virus that attacks Macs through e-mails the way PCs are?” writes Don Wooley of Georgia. A reader named F.L. writes: “There are (more than) 20 million Mac users running Mac OS X, and not one virus in the whole bunch.” …Greg Thurman writes: “I have never been successfully attacked by a worm, virus, trojan horse, key logger or spyware since switching to OS X, and the issue is not one of market share. There are several sites offering rewards to anyone reporting malware for OS X, and the thrill of writing viruses is the knowledge that you can do something others have not. Being the first to crack OS X security would be a huge badge of honor.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: On Tuesday, January 31, 2006, we featured Gibes; article (see related article below), wrote that Gibes was “misleading his readership by not pointing out that there are zero, none, nada, zilch Mac OS X viruses,” and provided his email address. To all those who wrote him with level-headed, fact-based messages, good job! Kudos for Gibes for reading his email, taking the valid points to heart, and writing about it.
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Attempting to protect Windows PCs from viruses, worms while Mac users surf the Net with impunity – January 31, 2006
I still don’t understand why those in the media (even the Mac friendly ones) find it so difficult to print the fact that Macs have zero viruses.
It’s almost like they don’t want to print the full truth to avoid embarrassing their Windows readership or something. I’ve never been able to figure that out.
If it’s true, why is it so hard for them to say it in the first place then without having MDN readers correct them?
Let us gloat now, for the more we do so, the more attractive it will become for malware developers to work on something nasty. Maybe we know it will happen and simply enjoying the peace of mind while it lasts.
^Rob — Because Microsoft has deep wallets.
I think it is just a case of CYA on the part of the writers. They want to leave themselves an out in case a virus would show up.
Gregg, didn’t he misspelled your name? Let’s take him down!
Let’s say it all together now….” Z E R O”
It’s obvious when these writers put these things down that they are attempting to cover themselves with a margin of error as it were, however surely it would be as easier (and correct) to just say there are no viruses etc but of course that doesn’t rule it out entirely, albeit it’s really unlikely there will be one. If they really want to cover themselves at least tell the truth.
Windows sucks!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Maybe you’ll be able to read this tomorrow when your anti-virus software is done scanning!!! LOSERS!!!
Rob’s right. Why is it so hard for these folks to check their facts and get them straight before publishing?
MDN: good work!
“It’s almost like they don’t want to print the full truth to avoid embarrassing their Windows readership or something.”
You’re on to something. This writer is a Mac user and wouldn’t be embarassing himself. Most other tech writers are part of the group of victims and are obviously embarrassed to write the truth. After all, the truth would make them look pretty incompetent.
If Windows booted up by sticking a sharp stick in the user’s eye, they would claim that this is perfectly normal and EVERYONE has to endure this minor inconvenience.
There is a sad reality here. When the major news media announces a new (Windows) virus, trojan, malware, etc. they make a blanket statement implying that this affects ALL computers. Should someone successfully deploy a genuine Macintosh OSX virus, the news media will have a field day and target the Mac exclusively.
My tactic has been to email authors pretending to be a clueless Mac user who was under the impression that there were no viruses for macs. I ask them if they could tell me what the viruses are so I can be on the lookout for them and that I was very concerned. At the very least could they tell me the documentation or websites that list such vulnerabilities.
I have yet to get an info from these guys. perhaps they are still looking.
Remember, if you attack or insult these guys, all you are doing is hurting the platform and making the user base look like techno-jihadists.
Hold on a minute here. I support over 35 OS X machines. I have VirusBarrier running on a number of them precisely because Word 2004 DOES get the WM97.shell virus. Yes it does NOT affect other programs or the system itself but IS a virus, and does create havoc with Word, requiring that it be removed.
So..as a BIG proponent of the Mac…I can say honestly that OS X has no viruses..but to say that OS X machines don’t have any is not accurate.
Yo Billy Boy! Shouting Steve!
None – as in zero, zip, nada, not a one since MacOS X was introduced.
Why isn’t there a class action suit against Miscrosoft for all of the lost data, lost hours, lost money, lost peace and calm, lost sense of security that has happened because of Micro$oft’s inability to plug holes and have revolving doors for the introduction of malware, viruses, infections, spyware, adware, trojan horses, and all other sorts of pernicious invasive software?
How many millions, if not billions, of dollars are lost each year for this betrayal of public trust?
Why? Because Gates wouldn’t pay a lawyer to sue himself like he is fronting the lawyer to sue Apple for not having a big enough warning label on th iPod.
MDN: any, as in: There aren’t any – ever.
I must respectfully disagree with you, Macromancer.
By your own admission, your tactic of “pretending to be a clueless Mac user…” has yielded the same results as the OS X virus count. Zero, none, nada, zilch.
The “techno-jihadists” who filled Al Gobes’ inbox got a public retraction and clarification. We should expect nothing less from people who are paid to get the facts right in the first place.
So…what was your point, again?
Relatively few and Zero.
Just ask them if they would prefer relatively few diseases or zero. Relatively few IRS audits or none. Relatively few bullet wounds or zero wounds. Relatively few spider eggs hatching in their brain or none at all. It’s not so hard after all.
With MS lawyers sueing apple over ipods that are “too loud” is it that far of a stretch to think that they have a group of evil programers working night and day trying to write some sort of virus for OSX?
By the way, I just sent the following to Giles:
Dear Al,
Thank you for your recent article clarifying the virus free status of the Apple operating system. It is well known that system 9 and previous operating systems were prone to many of the ‘problems’ that afflict the Microsoft Windows world.
It is also well known, among MacOS 10 users, that virus protection software snake oil salemen for the Mac try their best to keep their market alive by using inaccurate statistics to instill FUD (fear uncertainty and doubt) into a ever new and growing Mac user base. They warn former Windows users that they may be just as prone to all the ills that they experienced on a Windows machine on their new Mac.
What gave me a clue was that Apple no longer offered any type of virus protection software to its .mac customers. Reason: not needed.
That is pretty confident. …
Anywho, thanks for your article. It took courage to tell the truth in a Windows world.
YankInOz
MDN: moving as in: Now, wasn’t that just moving? Maes you want to tear up.
I’ll be damned. They actually read my email, then quoted me. Garsh darn.
Trojans are possible. My brother-in-law is a PC user, but his tech support guy is a long time Mac user, who downloaded some software a while back and it included a Trojan – which caused a lot of problems. It was the first Trojan I know of, and it was a very nasty one.
Hey, the last guy quoted in that article is me!
YankinOZ,
You letter reads like it’s written by a 14 year old — it’s awkward a bit hard to understand. Try to make it more concise next time, and leave out any FUD crap. thx.
are we not inviting people to develope a OSX virus here, sure its gonna be very hard but these people can be quite devoted, so shhhhh, stop picking fights with crackers lol, let us run safari in peace
I emailed him and let him have it.
My main problem I have is the writer Mac user or not saying “Here’s a bit of what the Mac fanatics said about their easy-operating machines”.
I love my computer, but Steve is not my god, and I’m no fanatic. Just a educated computer user who knows not to buy a computer with a POS OS like windows.