Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, OS, Software
Every time I write about Mac security the comments fill up with people telling me that I am an idiot (actually, come to think of it, that happens with most of my posts). Therefore, I thought some of you would enjoy this post from Symantec that which states categorically that there are no known file infecting viruses for OS X. 
When viewing folders using icon view or list view, both Command-Up-arrow and Command-Down-arrow play a special role. Command-Up-arrow moves you up to the parent folder of the currently-displayed folder.
Advertise with us. (Learn more)
_thumbnail.jpg "Take a stroll down memory lane")
| # | Blogger | Posts | Cmts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cory Bohon | 73 | 1 |
| 2 | Robert Palmer | 62 | 26 |
| 3 | Steven Sande | 46 | 17 |
| 4 | Mike Schramm | 32 | 6 |
| 5 | Michael Rose | 31 | 50 |
| 6 | Dave Caolo | 19 | 0 |
| 7 | Brett Terpstra | 15 | 0 |
| 8 | Erica Sadun | 15 | 1 |
| 9 | Mat Lu | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | Christina Warren | 9 | 27 |
| 11 | Victor Agreda, Jr. | 5 | 14 |
| 12 | TUAW Blogger | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Jason Clarke | 1 | 2 |
brick AppStore att lawsuit mac rumor apple ipod-touch software Iphone2.0 IpodTouch free gaming ipod podcast breakingnews SteveJobs itunes video applestore iphone app-store ItunesStore retail talkcast flickr tips developer terminal MacbookPro update features Iphone3g macbook games back-to-school safari SoftwareUpdate uk mobileme microsoft favorite-apps firstlook Mac101 nano leopard giveaway MacOsX quicktime security
All contents copyright © 2003-2008, Weblogs, Inc. All rights reserved
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. Network. Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Notify AOL
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kevin said 1:07PM on 7-14-2006
i actually quite enjoy your posts, scott, and hope that you keep pumping out bad boys like this one! totally rad.
Reply
robert said 1:10PM on 7-14-2006
Your posts here are really very informative and strike a friendly and familiar attitude that conveys extremely well to the reader. My opinion is that you're doing an excellent job so please don't be too hard on yourself. Kudos to you and this weblog.
Reply
The Jeremy said 1:15PM on 7-14-2006
Considering how much market penetration Macs are going to have this year, perhaps Symantec should start looking for ways to make Norton Systemworks actually work properly on OS X and make a nice edition to complement OS X Leopard just how Symantec used to release Systemworks on the Windows side of things in tandem with the latest Microsoft release...
Maybe...I dunno...make some Norton enhancements to BootCamp? Have a combo offering that includes the Windows versions of programs for people who are dual booting into XP/Vista on their Macs?
Reply
spil said 1:37PM on 7-14-2006
Quick! Someone buy the domain name "scottmcnultyfanboy.com"!
Reply
kevin said 1:45PM on 7-14-2006
do not sully his name, spil. do not!
Reply
ChillyWilly said 1:55PM on 7-14-2006
A combo s/w package would be cool. I run Norton on my Mac mini, but it's mostly for viruses that may be in files I import from the Windows side of things (for clients I manage).
I'm doing BootCamp on my MacBook Pro and will use AVG, but so far have nothing on the OS X side for virus protection. So far, I've not needed it, but would like to find something besides Norton. Wish AVG had a Mac version.
Reply
Scott McNulty said 2:23PM on 7-14-2006
Aww, thanks you guys!
Reply
Craig said 2:38PM on 7-14-2006
Yeah Scott you rock!
Isn't Symantec saying this kind of thing asking for file infecting viruses to be written for Mac? Then again, they could be doing this on purpose. 1) Say there are no infecting viruses. 2)Someone writes the said viruses. 3)People buy Symtantec's Norton protection for Mac to counter the viruses?
Reply
robert said 2:51PM on 7-14-2006
Just kidding; your posts suck.
Reply
Wheels said 4:29PM on 7-14-2006
You mean that little fairy hovering over my PowerMac won't protect my system from viruses? Damn!
And I like your posts too, Scott. You're currently the best blogger on TUAW.
Reply
Chip said 11:57PM on 7-14-2006
"Mac users might not have to worry about viruses now but that doesn't mean that OS X is somehow magically immune to viruses."
A Nun can get Herpes but that doesn't mean we should stock the pockets of her habit with condoms.
Reply
sean said 6:24PM on 7-17-2006
Of course, the idea of a virus, just like the ones that infect humans, It has to have a large "user" base in order for it to thrive. The larger the Mac community grows, the more likely that Macs will become a security target. Especially if apple ever gets lax about how it handles its security and patch updates. Acting as if they are immune is not a good thing, even publicly.
On another note, why would anyone want to use a Symantec product to secure their machine (Mac or PC) is beyond me. Symantec system tools are notoriously bloated, and degrade system performance. Not only that, they are often buggy to the point that it will actually corrupt data on your computer. Almost every symantec product I have tried that has been made since 2000 has caused some sort of corruption or system failure. It's Mac tools for OSX being the worst ever.
Reply