<p>Chairman Gates takes a dim view of Apple computers…</p>
<p>“Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine.”</p>
<p>Article: <a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16934083/site/newsweek/[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16934083/site/newsweek/</a></p>
<p>Time to sell your Macs and go home to Windows… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I’ve owned six Macs in the past 10 years (we still have four at home, 3 desktops, 1 laptop) and I’ve never had a breach or virus shut us down. Never.
You can’t say that about windows.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’ve owned or managed dozens of Windows/Intel machines over the last 17 years and I’ve never lost data or the use of a computer to a virus. The worst thing that’s happened is that my kids managed to download so many “free utilities” that I had to spend a day purging their computer of junk.</p>
<p>I think you Macies should all dump your computers and buy new Vista machines. This would improve Microsoft’s business, allowing them to expand, leading to more hiring and the general improvement of the economy where I live. Then, I would get the best of both worlds – a robust local economy and I wouldn’t have to work at Microsoft!</p>
<p>Poor Bill
No big lines for Vista this time?
<a href=“we%20know%20XP%20was%20crap%20so%20buy%20Vista%20its%20not%20as%20crappy”>url=http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/the-daily-show/bill-gates-tells-jon-stewart-why-he-should-buy-vista-yes-it-was-as-boring-as-this-headline-232403.php</a></p>
<p>I have a friend who has Microsoft as her biggest client- according to her- they are the devil.</p>
<p>One of their top people (Alchin I think) said if he did not work for Microsoft he’d use a MAC.</p>
<p>I think that anyone who buys a Microsoft OS in its first year of release should have their head examined.</p>
<p>Okay you CC techno geeks–give me the short and sweet of it. Why would I want a Vista machine?</p>
<p>vista schmista</p>
<p>mac baby!!!</p>
<p>Apple has followed a tried and true marketing path blazed by Pepsi. The idea is to appeal to a younger crowd based on … well … advertising. Once upon a time, Macs were better at graphics and PCs at number crunching. If there’s a difference these days, I can’t see it.</p>
<p>Macs are less subject to viruses because they have made up such a small portion of the market. Those who make viruses (scum!) want to affect the largest possible number of machines. So, they go after Windows. Believe me, I think Microsoft did a terrible job of security with its products. But that’s not to say that Mac would have been any better had the virus makers been focusing on their products.</p>
<p>I think it’s about marketing. I doubt there’s a significant difference in the products for the casual user.</p>
<p>
Probably mostly you’d end up with Vista if you purchase a new PC. I haven’t seen anything compelling in Vista yet that warrants going out and buying it to replace XP if that’s what you already have. At the end of the day it’s a matter of “what have I gained by replacing XP with Vista?” and if the answer is ‘not much’, then it’s not worth the expense and effort and potential compatibility problems with the old hardware.</p>
<p>
This is definitely true and I don’t think many people realize this especially if they consider the “Mac vs PC” responses on CC to be the telltale as to usage. The last time I checked I think Windows was > 90% of the personal computer market with the remainder mostly Apple with a smattering of Linux variants. So for the idiots who enjoy spreading viruses (like those who enjoy spray painting walls and keying cars) they get the most bang for their buck in attacking Windows and have more opportunity in the wisespread Windows users finding flaws in the first place. Many of those 16 y/o idiots spreading the viruses don’t actually discover them - they just exploit what someone else already discovered and posted.</p>
<p>Honestly, Mac OS X is not perfect and needs patches. </p>
<p>It just has fewer people shooting at it, at the moment. I still like it - but still use appropriate internal and external security equipment. No OS is perfect, but UNIX (Max OS X is a UNIX variant) is by design less friendly to exploits than other OSs.</p>
<p>Windows XP has been through the mill and attacked far more viciously than OS X. There is nothing like the experience learned from a few billion attacks and Vista may well be more secure at the moment.</p>
<p>Linux is not immune to attack, either. I personally had a fresh install of RH Linux suffer an SSH attack once.</p>
<p>Hey WashDad, can you get us Vista discounts?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sorry, Noles, but I don’t work for the evil empire – but if you all buy lots of Vista, my property values may continue rising!</p>
<p>Microsoft employees and ex-employees get huge discounts on software (like Office Pro for $xx instead of $xxx). The trick around here is to make friends with someone who is a Microsoftie who is willing to order stuff for you on their account. I’ve probably had a half-dozen friends buy me Microsoft stuff over the years. It’s a nice perq in exchange for dealing with their hordes of insane drivers twice a day.</p>
<p>WashDad:</p>
<p>Forget that! Just take a gunboat out onto Lake Washington and lob a few shells at their houses. That’ll get you a discount pretty quickly.</p>
<p>Gunboat software development? Can that tag be applied to Microsoft? Hmmmm… ;)</p>