Dan at MacApper takes a moment to rant a bit about people not buying a Mac. The rant itself is a good read, but make a special point of looking at the comments after the article. There is some good discussion about the misconception of “Marketshare Security”.
Marketshare Security (which is a word I may have made-up) is the term I use to describe the argument Microsoft pundits use to explain why there aren’t any virus or malware issues for Mac or *nix computers (when you see “*nix”, it is a reference to all types of Linux and Unix OS distributions), while Microsoft computers are flooded by them. The argument presented is that Mac and *nix computers don’t occupy enough of the market to be worth the effort of writing a virus or malware.
Here are the 2 main arguments against this type of reasoning:
1. A virus or malware writer would get huge props and rep for writing “The First” real attack for Mac or *nix.
2. There are specific technical reasons why a virus or malware can’t cause the same type of damage on a Mac or *nix system as it can on a Windows PC. Basically, Mac and *nix have higher levels of self protection from one part of the OS causing problems for another.
I’m not going to say everyone should switch to a Mac. It just isn’t feasible or convenient for everyone. There are other concerns a common computer user must take into account when getting a new computer (cost vs perceived value or work compatibility for example). I will say, however, that I recommend you always keep the option open – especially with Vista’s foibles. I have converted some family members and friends already and they seem to be very happy with their changes – and they range from photo and video hobbyist, to grad student, to casual computer user, to PC network designer and administrator.
Oh… and beware of fanboys from either side. They are both icky.
