Re: XP vs Mac OS X

Guy Macon wrote: 
Bob Monsen wrote:


The one thing that is in favor of OS X in that regard is that they do the right thing with respect to root privs. It is often a bit painful to install software, as a consequence, but you usually don't have to run the software as root.

However, the protection afforded by that only prevents a virus from infecting system files. It is still possible to wreak havoc on a user without root access by manipulating his bin directory and path. 


But can it then wreak wreak havoc on another user?  I think not.


Why not? Email applications run with user privs. Getting into an email application using applescript (or whatever they call it these days) should be easy. Thus, email trojan horses should be able to spread just like a windows versions, albeit with different code in them.

With Windows 2000, on the other hand, if yiou do an install and then
try to go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to get the security patches,
you get infected and start infecting others as soon as you connect to the internet, far too fast for you to apply the security fixes.
Then the Virii disable your ability to load security fixes. I have
54 saved bug fixes that I have to apply (some as large as 132 MB), and it takes most of a day to apply them all.


Beats me. Last time I installed 2000, (in 2003, I think) it worked without a problem. I have used XP, and it doesn't seem to have this flaw. Are you saying that the windows site is infecting your computer? That is bad, if true.

With Slackware linux, setting up a new system involves aswering a few questions, starting the install, and getting a cup of coffee.


That is great. I'm happy for them and you. My recent redhat fedora install of the system I'm running on seemed pretty easy, but then again, it required me to compile and install drivers for sound and video, and to recompile the kernel with NTFS support to access my windows files. That was annoying.

I don't have an OS X box yet, but I bet that it's just as easy.
Strike that; EASIER - I suspect that there are fewer questions to answer.


Last time I installed an OSX system, it was painless.

---
Regards,
 Bob Monsen
.

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