Comments on: Intel's Inside Macs? Ho Hum

By: mcarp

mcarp — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:45:45 +0000

Virii are directed against operating systems, not CPUs. OS X, the Mac operating system, is built upon the almost as virus-resistant FreeBSD, a Unix variant which already runs on the Intel platform and has for more than ten years. OS X will be just as virus-resistant on the Intel platform as it has been on the PowerPC — no known viruses infecting OS X versus seven thousand known viruses affecting different versions of Windows.

Worms are a different matter. The first worms were directed against Unix systems and software. There are still worms directed against the Apache web server which comes installed with almost all Unix variants, including OS X and most versions of Linux. While Microsoft’s web server is not affected by the Apache worms, it is susceptible to MS-specific attacks, which outnumber Apache exploits by a few orders of magnitude.

Denial of service attacks can be directed against anything plugged into the Internet — including, I suppose, Playstations and Xboxes — although DOS attacks are most frequently directed against web servers. Again, no platform has an advantage in that area.

Yes, the PowerBook is sleek and sexy. But at a certain local coffee shop recently, I saw someone using *two* such PowerBooks simultaneously. I felt shamed and inadequate, and wondered if setting up a dual-monitor display on my PowerBook would allow me to save some measure of dignity.

I settled for bullying another guy using a Dell Inspiron. A cheap and coarse tactic, admittedly, but he should have been at Starbuck’s with that thing.

By: laocoon

laocoon — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:49:07 +0000

Mac Addicts are SO sensitive!

Just say “Bill Gates” and get a 20 minute tirade.

Such fierce loyalty to a manufactured product.

I actually read the stuff that came out of this MacWorld and thought that it was time to switch to the new Intel Mac.

the question that came to my mind, Mike, was whether Macs would become more vulnerable to the internet world of worms and Denial of Service attacks that us windows users have faced for the past few years.

I’ll also say that the 17″ G4 you drive is slim and sexy. Vroom. Processing speed and memory are to the 21st Century what the cubic inch and rpms was to the 50s. Vroom.

By: mcarp

mcarp — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 02:00:24 +0000

Mazda Miata: just another car.
Armani: just another suit.

Using a Mac professionally, I may have up to 18 programs open simultaneously, including such memory/cpu hogs as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, InDesign and Painter. The last time I tried, this wasn’t even possible on Windows, although it may be now.

In any event, the potential consequences of changing the Mac’s CPU architecture is a huge deal to me. Anything that affects the stability of future Macs affects my work.

I hope Rio Sabadicci is right, but I’ll feel better about it when I know for sure the Intel Mac is just as good or better.