Hi,

I have just bought a new apple mac computer. Up until this point i have been a PC kind of girl but felt like a change. However there are things i am unsure of such as what is the best virus protection for a mac? and where can you get it?

Anyone else out there in cyberspace have any mac tips!

Julie<BR><BR><B><Added><BR><BR>I just realised i can't spell! That should teach me to read things before i post them!!!!!

Ah, another convert - welcome.

There has never been a virus on Mac OSX, so you don't need to buy virus protection.

Enjoy!

Myrtle

Thanks Myrtle!

There is so much to learn! They are very different from the PC's, great new challenge to learn how to use them. I am loving the widget things, great invention!

Thanks again
Julie

Hi

Just got a new ibook (whee!) and my IT man is here setting it up as we speak.

He says that he hasn't seen a virus on a Mac for nearly ten years, but if you really want anti-virus, he suggests Intego virusguard or McAfee Virex 8 - don't touch Norton utilities, as it breaks everything.

Enjoy! I used to hate Macs, but I like OSX.

Should you should still have a firewall, I think, if you're not going through a router? And anti-spam and popup blockers are still useful.

But I'm not a Mac person, so what do I know?

Emma

Beadle i just got the 12 inch ibook, i can't get over how small and light it is.

Thanks for all the help guys!

Emma i think the thing has a firewall but i will check into that.

Thanks again

J

Welcome to Mac heaven, Julie!
I'm hopeless at technical things, so I'll just say "enjoy!"
x
tc

yes, min'es also a 12" ibook. I thought it was a toy! I've also invested in a wireless keyboard and mouse so I don't get cramp on the tiny keyboard.

You'll only need a firewall if you have broadband, because then you're connection is 'on' all the time, so somebody could feasibly hack in to you machine.

I've just shown my son nanosaurus and chess on the new ibook - very delighted he was as well!

beadle

I've used Macs exclusively since I first bought a home computer in 1997. Why? We used PCs at work and they crashed every 5 minutes, and invariably when you had an irate customer on the phone. At the time, almost everyone I knew who owned a home computer had a PC, and they spent all their time in anoracky conversations about the size of their processors - yes, they were all men. The only people I knew who actually USED their computers for anything beyond playing games were two professional 'creatives' - and they both used Macs. So I bought a Mac and now have - well - several. I suppose I should be a technical expert, but the fact is you don't need to be. They just work. The only things that crash are made by that big American software company that I'd better not name! For instance, their well-known browser froze on me today. I was only using it because I'd come across a rare website (insurance company) that didn't work properly with Safari, and as I needed to insure my house I had no choice! You can block pop-ups and all that stuff from within Safari (look at the drop-down menu 'Safari' in the top left-hand corner). I do use a firewall and anti-virus - Norton - but only because I won it from a Mac magazine's website competition (I'm not sad enough to read the magazine itself!) I went 'unprotected' for 7 years previously, and I've never caught anything!

Happy Mac-ing!

iJulie (joke)

My name is Beadle. I've been using a Mac for about five years.

At first I thought I was in control, y'know. I was in charge. I was the boss. It wasn't the boss of me.

I hated it at first. All the... space. And it was smooth, y'know, so smooth.

But I really wanted to be PC like everyone else. I just - could - not - stand - the - GREYNESS!

But Macs pissed me off as well. When I was alone with them, trying to do too much. Y'know. Send an e-mail. Open a PDF. Copy and paste from an Excel file. And then save a word document... ALL AT THE SAME TIME. It used to crash, or worse, freeze.

It was hell. Y'know. Jesus I was terrible to live with around that time. It was a dark period of my life. I never want to go back there.

Then I found OSX. It wasn't cheap, I can tell you. And I needed help, but that's what friends are for. Right? In the end I needed professional help, but I got there.

It began to take over me. I got an ipod. I started downloading music. But I was happy, y'know, for the first time in a long time, I was happy.

It cost me more than the PC lot - but they were stil... grey.

Now I've got a new ibook. It's white. Shiny. It smells... good. I can play music. Watch movies. I don't need the outside world now. I HAVE AN iBOOK.

I DON'T CARE! I HAVE AN iBOOK.

COME ON CRUEL WORLD. YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME? YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME DOWN?

SO WHAT IF YOU CAN? DO I CARE?

NO! I HAVE AN iBOOK!

Don't! You're making those of us who are tied into PC-hood by the demands of infant education and ghastly teenage games very, very jealous...

Emma

Emma

My kids (9 and 6) also use the various old Macs we have - my wife is a graphic designer, hence the allegiance to them. You can’t get as many games and software for Apple, but there is quite a bit about and a lot of recent stuff is multi-platform.

It also means that when they go on the internet (under supervision), they don’t download lots of viruses that automatically takes them to www.younglovelies.com when they are searching for birds native to the UK!

Interesting, Beadle. Now they're older and get plenty of access to them at school, maybe I could change. I have to say, I've only ever had one virus in fifteen years of having a PC, so it can be done.

I do need a laptop, and would love an iBook, but worry that it would be boring getting it and my PC to talk to each other. Any of you Mac types do that regularly? I'd hate not to be able to run Word on both, and transfer files between the two without a blink. Or set up a WiFi network if I wanted to, for instance.

Emma

Hi Emma

I use both a Mac and PC (when I work for other people) and there is no problem swapping word files. The only thing you need to do is make sure you have the same version of word on each machine, or at least save them in the same version.

I actually find that Macs will handle everything and it's the PCs that struggle.

We have previously had PC and Macs networked at home - through cable, not WiFi - and they could talk to each other, no problem at all. You'll probably need a bit of advice on getting the right connections etc, but it's a lot easier than it used to be.

The ibook is very cool and very well-priced compared to PCs for what if offers. Be warned though, the 12" is VERY small.

Beadle

Thanks, that's a help. Maybe I'll take the plunge. They are very beautiful!

Emma