I wouldn't count on the security through elitism angle working for much longer. Now that the G5 systems are out, perfectly usable G4 systems can be had for under $500. I just nabbed a fully loaded 867MHz box for $430 including a 15" LCD!

This article seems predicated primarily on the idea that the only folks who write viruses are bent on destroying an object of hatred or displeasure. I disagree.

I liken it to graffiti, whose underlying psychology is something I can never hope to understand. But my premise is that it's not satisfying to deface a wall that nobody sees. So writers target the biggest, most visible wall.

At the moment that is most surely the Wintel platform. Now that the popularity of OS-X is growing so rapidly, that proverbial wall is looming larger and more attractive. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The software may be fairly resilient but the human element is too easily exploited, especially when the user becomes so accustomed to supplying a privileged password when installing software.

I have a gripe with an earlier element in this thread, which relates to the allegation of there being OS-X viruses, and the response of "show me a virus for version 10.3.9". That kind of challenge impacts believability.

Yet according to what I've read, there apparently are no viruses "in the wild" for OS-X. That's not for lack of exploitable vulnerabilities, so don't get too comfy! And while there's nothing that fits the technical description of a virus, there are rootkits and an increasing variety of malware targeting this platform. So again, don't get too comfy.

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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/319/31481#31481