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General discussion

Can Apple Keep the Worms Out?

Feb 4, 2004 9:30PM PST

Mac owners have long boasted of their immunity to viruses. But with Unix-based OS X, it's a whole new ball game

In the wake of the MyDoom/Novarg fiasco, every Mac columnist has an easy out. After yet another virus attack has hammered the Windows world, the automatic response has been to pen the standard Mac gloat. It goes something like this: I didn't get this virus because I have a Mac. In fact, I never get viruses. Never have, never will. That's because Mac software is simply better than Windows software. So there.

Such a column generally elicits the standard Windows community reply: The reason you don't get viruses is because so few people have Macs. In fact, hackers think Macs are so marginal they don't even bother with figuring out ways to break into them or infect them with viruses. If 95% of the world used Macs, you can bet they would catch viruses all the time.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2004/tc2004025_4265_tc056.htm

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