apple OS X and mac

hello,
I have some questions about apple mac and OS X
1. what file system does apple OS X use?
2. do you need any secuirty software on a mac?
3. do you think apple will sell alot of macs in the future and then be a target for malware writers? or will people be as stupid as they are now and buy vista ?

i just had a look and noticed the cheapest ibook was £749 no wonder not many people have them.
you can get a windows based laptop for around £349 if only apple released an ibook for around £349 with celeron intel processer then they would sell alot more macs. most people want a computer or laptop that always works no matter what!
but the problem is if macs where £349 for the cheapest and had some at £500 and lots of people brought them instead of windows companies that fix computer for there clients they would have alot less jobs to do.
anyone know why apple dont release £349 ibooks or imacs?
it seems crazy for them not to.
if i could get a mac at that price i could test security software using parallels for mac and always have a reliable operating system for everyday usage.
i still wish you didnt have to use propriety hardware.
lodore

 

First, Apple is poised to make a comeback in the CG (computer graphics) marketshare, the latest Intel dual core driven workstations are quite attractive in both pricepoint and to many OS familiarity, they are no longer dogs.

Second the ability to run Windows+aps on a Mac holds additional attraction

Third, many have come to appreciate exactly how nasty adoption of Vista is and are looking for alternatives, The Mac offers arguably the best GUI on a NIX platform (for many)

the traditional Mac filesystem is HFS (Hierarchical File System)
OS X generally employs an enhanced version HFS+, but can employ other filesystems
(Full support of FAT but only read support of NTFS, and so far no Reiser or ext2 though there is development)

http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/arch_fs.html


Macs have largely escaped the attention of malware authors, and with the current limited marketshare will for the most part likely continue the trend, there are security applications available.

 

Apple seems to have Vista's graphics for a long time. Always appealed in a way. Some friends have a dual-core mac-laptop-thingy, and it just works. It's a media center, or looks like it. A great OS imo.

Even with that in mind, i don't think i'll ever go for Mac. To me the alternative nowadays is free software, aka, GNU based OS's. You buy the hardware, and really choose what kind of OS you want. It can be more dificult to look for, but that's only due to the fact that we're not used to it.

For a ready to use PC, i think MACs are always the best. From what i've seen, it just works. Doesn't seem to need security, but not sure.

If it will sell more, that's a really hard question. No good answers here. But i bet yes, it will gain something out of Vista...

 

the turn offs for a mac are the cost cheapest £749 and proprietary hardware.
at least with mac you know what software works with it.
for linux there are so many distros its hard to find out what works with the distro you use.
on the other hand my pc normaly works perfectly except the ram error atm that i might just give my dad the £50 to get new ram jyst cos i cant stand the crashes no more.
lodore

 

The more i learn, the more i understand that it's not really that bad. If it's in the repos, you just click, click, and it's there. If not, there are other ways, like if you have access to the source code. Mrk has some pretty helpful tips on his website.
Note that it tends to be harder in a Mac, if it's not compatible. Maybe not, and i'm missing something important (maybe even obvious, i've said crap before...)

 

it would be nice to have Microsoft office for Linux thou but that will probably never happen.
like alot of people here I like to test security software which normaly means needing a windows xp test machine and thats why i want to build a cheap dual core pc to dual boot linux and windows xp. i was just reading about apple mac so thats why i started this thread and wondered why they dont do any mac cheaper than £749
lodore

 

Hello,

lodore, how many times do I have to repeat that?? You CAN run MS Office on Linux.

As to MAC security, reglar patches + firewall + strong password = you're set. No special wonders needed.

Mrk

 

I don't know why you are complaining about MAC prices. You get a laptop WORTH its money and not some cheap OEM brand of a "other" laptop. If you look at the top model MacBook Pro fully maxed out, sure that is somehow more expensive than a random "non-mac" laptop. Having both laptops for work, fully maxed out DELL XPS and MacBookPro i've always prefered the Mac. Not for the graphics of os system, but for the stability and security.

 

how can you run ms office on linux?
and i dont mean open office
lodore

 

WINE or VMware

though why youd want to use Micosoft Office instead of Open Office escapes me personally

 

I was just wondering thats all
lodore

 

i've heard it said loads of times recently how macs are now cheaper than dells. i haven't checked and it might not be true, but spec for spec macs and dells are probably alot closer then you think. look it up and see.

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=mac cheaper than dell

 

very interesting link thanks
lodore

 

I always wanted to run mac os x but it pales when i see the versatility of my Pc.

 

care to explain a bit more?
lodore

 

I meant the number of software and hardware makes pc more flexible than Mac. We can easily change pc's hardware but it is more difficult and expensive to change mac's hardware(Except mac pro ). If one needs a simple easy to use home based computer than mac is a very good choice. Pc is very easy to deploy in school, corporate world with it's relatively inexpensive hardware and software. It is more economical to replace pc's hardware than mac.
How many companies sell mac osx ? just one, right. Now think about the number of companies selling pc can you count them? no. More competition means better, cheaper product.
I would always classify Mac as luxury computer and nothing more than that.
I don't won't to discount Mac but PC is cheaper and economical.

 

Apple WWDC 2006-Windows Vista Copies Mac OS X

 

i watched that video earlier.
all apple does it tell you bad points about windows it never tells you what good features there operating system has
lodore

 

you have uncovered the basic premise of advertising
you may now advance to advertising 202


I adopted the PC platform while almost my whole industry was on the Mac platform, I did that for exactly the reasons ashishtx pointed out, hardware flexibility and performance. But not for any inherent attribute within the OS platform which in a direct comparison for an average or even a limited power user is less friendly\intuitive.

The "good" points in Windows are mostly in the more advanced and complex physical configurations, and vary with the base applications (advantages primarily to business models excluding LAMP's advantages in running the net)

I was actually all set to invest in the Mac Clone direction when it was killed. And opted to jump on the SMP PC bandwagon instead.

 

do microsoft say how bad apple mac is? the answer is a big FAT NO.
they tell you what features vista has and why they could be useful for you
lodore

 

advancing to advertising 202
when leading the pack it is best to ignore the competition and make believe they do not exist,
especially when they hold distinct advantages you are unable to counter well.

underdogs make comparisions
Microsoft even mentioning Mac is reminding the public an alternative exists

 

Im just happy with Ubuntu

It took 2 days for me to install everything but since than it just work without any problems.