So Guy Serle wrote a good article in which a bunch of people posted responses, and the old (and not so old) arguments on Mac vs. PC came up again. No surprise, really. Some PC defenders, though, really surprised me, especially long-time Mac user Owen Rubin. The entire thrust of his responses came down to the ease of use of XP, and the cheapness of the PC hardware. So I thought I would post this blog entry to refute both the premise that people are pretty much just as fine using a PC as a Mac.
Two words:
Spyware
Viruses
Okay, I rest by case.
Seriously, every person I know, EVERY ONE OF THEM, have had MAJOR problem with both Virus infection and Spyware. The problem of viruses on the PC is an old one, and even with all the anti-virus software out there, the problem is actually bigger today than it was just five years ago. I read a lot of IT Professional publications every month, and the cost of battling the virus problem is costing more per PC today than the many companies spent to buy the PC in the first place. Home PC users are seeing the problem getting worse and worse, with the cost of anti-virus software a given when buying a PC. And that is not even factoring in the actual time these PC owners spend trying to repair a PC infected with the latest virus.
Spyware, however, is quickly passing the PC virus as the #1 problem people and IT departments are dealing with. I have read story after story about the sheer volume and destructive power of these applications, and the cost of the ant-spyware software is approaching the same levels of anti-virus software. These spyware programs are literally bringing PC’s down everyday, causing actual problems many people are unable to repair themselves, forcing them to visit the PC technician.
The fact is, PC techs are busier today than every before, and they report the same things: spyware and viruses are such a huge problem that the anger of PC users is reaching the boiling point.
The solution? None. No software protects the PC user from every virus or spyware. (And let’s call the spyware for what it is, a virus!) The people writing spyware are ten steps ahead of the anti-spyware makers. Same with the viruses.
So if you LIKE software that sneaks into your system, records every keystroke, and reports that information back to its shadow owners, buy a PC. If you like programs that will eat all the data on your PC and leave you with a worthless plastic box, buy a PC. If you like to spend hours and hours trying to head off the onslaught of software that does nothing but destroy your computer, the PC is your ticket.
Oh, and how much Spyware and Viruses infect Mac OS X? That would be ZERO.
Enough debate, the Mac wins, hands down.
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