M ac users are all but oblivious to the virus problems besetting all the Windows users around them. While this lack of concern isnit exactly news to Mac users themselves, word is beginning to spread to a wider audience. Steve Wozniak made some comments regarding the lack of Mac viruses in a speech last week, and that message seems to be spreading as far away as Singapore. An article at The Straits Times cites those comments from Mr. Wozniak, and says that the proliferation of recent Windows virus outbreaks have caused some to look towards the Mac, a solution that many have overlooked for quite some time. From the Straits Times:
Whatever the motives, going by the number of software patches that users are being asked to install on their computers with the Windows operating system (OS) and the devastation wreaked by a successive number of viruses in recent months, it is evident the Windows OS has many vulnerabilities. The software industry is now calling for designated minimum standards for OS security but this is hard to enforce given Windowsi market dominance.
But when users are riled by frequent disruption, such as crashing PCs and having their mailboxes clogged by tonnes of viral e-mail, I would hope Microsoft will try harder for a more durable solution, instead of simply issuing software patches whenever a new hole in its OS is uncovered.
Given its poor record in dealing with viruses, Microsoft has much to do to regain the confidence of its users.
Although most of us are stuck in a Wintel environment, there is still an alternative - Apple.
You can read the full article at The Straits Timesi Web site.