2007-01-21 05:06:16 · 28 answers · asked by william_the_pirate 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
Two things make it so immune to viruses.
1) The operating system is written in a language that is not as common as the language used to write Windows.
Less people have the ability to write in this language so no one really tries; at least so far anyway.
2) Mac only has 4 to 5% of the computer market; as I'm sure you are aware those "SCUM" that write viruses, want to do the most damaged they can and so writting for the 95% of the computers out there is what they do.
___Mac with Intel chips can now run Widows as well as OS X so I imagine that the Windows side of these new Macs will start to get infected as well as othe PC's, but that should not have any impact on the Mac side of that computer.
2007-01-21 05:18:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Mac user had a good answer...I gave him a thumbs up! The reason people think they are immune to viruses is because they are not the dominant personal computer in use. I have run a couple of Mac labs in an educational environment...there are not very many programs available. Most people don't want to hack into the computers students or video graphic workers use...they would prefer to destroy or sabotage, steal the files that an accountant or business might use...Those viruses that attack email applications can still destroy a Mac...The students often ended up wiping out the hard drive on the Macs with downloaded viruses. It's not fun to deal with, because the Windows format is so much easier to reinstall after formatting.
2007-01-21 05:25:03 · answer #2 · answered by Jalapinomex 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All platforms have viruses written for them. There are two basic reasons the Mac is less vulnerable. First, writing viruses for the Mac platform is much more difficult so fewer hackers spend the extra time. And, second, yes there are many more PCs in use than Macs so there are fewer hackers writing viruses for Macs.
For those dissing Macs, Macs have higher quality hardware as well as better rated support, according to articles in Consumer Reports. And one article I read on ZDNet stated that to bring a PC notebook up to the same hardware as is basic to a Mac notebook, the PC would actually cost more that the Mac. This was from a writer who uses PCs himself.
For those who are concerned about less software for Macs than PCs, that is true. But do you need 50 choices for a word processor rather than 25? For example, all the major software. like Word and Photoshop, also have Mac versions which are compatible with the Windows versions. And don't get me started on how easy the Macs are to use compared to PCs! That's another question and answer altogether.
2007-01-21 05:41:30 · answer #3 · answered by Twizard113 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not that they're immune to viruses. There are a number of viruses out there that can effect a Mac. The issue is that there are SO MANY PC viruses out there that only effect the Windows operating systems. Virus writers haven't given Macs much attention since they don't dominate the market penetration. But that could change at any time.
2007-01-21 05:11:41 · answer #4 · answered by bogus_dude 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
1. The operating system is better designed than the early Windows platform.
2. The number of Macs is not close to Windows so if you were a hacker there are more possible targets out there if you focus on Windows. The 'benefit' of a successful attack is much less given there are fewer machines to infect.
3. Linux and Unix also see fewer viruses compared to Windows. More or less for the same set of reasons.
2007-01-21 07:03:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they are a Unix based system, and do not allow users to routinely sign on as superuser the way Windows systems did.
Note: Did
Microsoft is finally catching on to that too. Most viruses have to be able to get into your system directory to do real damage. If you do not have authority to write to it, they can't either.
That said, Mac's are not immune to viruses by any means. It is just a lot tougher for someone outside to gain control of the system.
And to all of you spouting the Microsoft line stating they are popular so they get the viruses, let me remind you of something: 67% of all Web servers are LAMP servers, that is Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP. Microsoft has less than 1/3 market share. And guess who STILL has all the viruses?
-Dio
2007-01-21 05:21:56 · answer #6 · answered by diogenese19348 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, statistically speaking, Mac's have been known to be more immune from viruses.
The reason for this would be that, when Apple first started to sell the Macintosh, Steve Jobs(Apples CEO) sold the computer, BUT, he said that only software from his company that was licensed by apple would work on the system.
Also, the Mac's were not selling as much as the PC's.
Now, though, Mac has become more widespread due to the iPod and other new devices. This has caused it to be less immune to viruses recently.
2007-01-21 05:16:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
They're Not Immune. Mac Are Less Popular That's Why
That Thing About Market Share's And Stuff
And Most Companies Also Use MS Windows Which Makes Them The Taget Of Most Cyber Criminals
2007-01-21 05:12:10 · answer #8 · answered by AE Trono 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Mac and PCs work differently. They read infomation, data, differently. Since almost all of the population has a PC, hackers make viruses (confusing sets of data) formatted for PC. You would have to ... almost say the virus in a different launguage for Mac to understand... Its like speaking German to a computer that only understands English. Therefore, Mac does not understand, and cannot complete the confusing sets of data, the virus.
2007-01-21 06:20:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Macs are not "immune" to viruses it is just that there are so many more Windows computers that virus writers just concentrate on that platform. Another reason is that Windows as an OS is inherently hackable with all the fancy hidden bs it does in the background.
2007-01-21 05:16:04 · answer #10 · answered by Perry L 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋