Now in Mac land, more questions

[Bigtwin]

On the back of all the advise, i got an i mac last weekend (used, but as new, with 10.4). All jolly super, but raises a couple of questions:-

Office (i.e. Word etc) - anything to avoid, or will any reasonably up-o-date version for Mac be OK - there are plenty of cheap supposedly genuine versions on eBay currnetly - or is anyone selling one?

Virus protection - what's hot and what's not?

Thanks one and all!

 

[ROJAZ]

I got office 2004 for mac off ebay for not a lot and it works perfectly.

 

[ianf]

You're basically o.k. without virus protecton IF you have a broadband router and run NAT, and have not forwarded many ports for dodgy services.

Most of the malicious email / dodgy webpage viruses are actually not a fault of microsoft but intel, for allowing execution of data pages. The powerPc architecture has this covered I believe.

Just set safari/firefox to not allow pop-ups and you're fine. Get SoftwareUpdat er to check you have the latest versions of everything.

 

[Bigtwin]

You're basically o.k. without virus protecton IF you have a broadband router and run NAT, and have not forwarded many ports for dodgy services.

Most of the malicious email / dodgy webpage viruses are actually not a fault of microsoft but intel, for allowing execution of data pages. The powerPc architecture has this covered I believe.

Just set safari/firefox to not allow pop-ups and you're fine. Get SoftwareUpdat er to check you have the latest versions of everything.

right - thanks. Ran the updater today and got that sorted. i have a BB router, but how do I know if I am runnung NAT?

I'm running 10.4, if that helps at all?

Many cheers!

 

[ianf]

Log into the router and see if Network Address Translation is turned on or off. It's very likely to be on unless you know your ip address range, and have configured static addresses.

By the way 10.4.4 will be out tomorrow. You should hold off on updates for now as there'll be a big one to pull down.

p.s. smart move on the SH iMac. They released the dual core intel one today, so hopefully you got a good discount on it.

 

[Bigtwin]

Log into the router and see if Network Address Translation is turned on or off. It's very likely to be on unless you know your ip address range, and have configured static addresses.

By the way 10.4.4 will be out tomorrow. You should hold off on updates for now as there'll be a big one to pull down.

p.s. smart move on the SH iMac. They released the dual core intel one today, so hopefully you got a good discount on it.

Great - thanks again.

Will do.

Yes - I like it a lot more than windoze already. I think I got a good deal - it was still in the box in original packaging, having been owned by a graphic designer who didn't use it, as a new job provided a Powermac and an i book for free - spawny get.

only downside so far is that the dozy lot at Roadangel don't support Macs - so I have to keep it updated on my old craptop, but you can't win them all...

 

[ianf]

There's more than a few mac monkeys in here now. Which is a good thing.

By the way the quicktime update I just installed does something to the permissions on a folder used to process your applications that launch at startup. If anyone wonders, the prompt to fix it seems to work o.k.

I see that iLife06 is also out now, there's another £49 squid likely to go out of the wallet some point this week. faster iphoto and better web publishing tools apparently.

 

[bgd]

If you haven't already found it http://www.macrumors.com/ is a very helpful site.

The general view is that anti virus software is unnecessary for a mac because there are no known mac viruses out there.

Have a look at http://www.neooffice.org/ before spending on Office. It is free and may do everything you need

 

[nadeem]

The grapevine says that another mac convert is on its way...he also recently bought a Tour X....

 

[Dahoum]

They all come to realise the true way eventually

 

[nadeem]

they do indeed...

 

[judge]

The grapevine says that another mac convert is on its way...he also recently bought a Tour X....

Not a convert, more of a reaquainting myself with an old friend

I left my university job as a network manager 7 years ago and said goodbye to four mac labs with 200 macs (performas, quadras and 8500 series powermacs).

Ten years previously I was cutting my teeth on one of these and getting to grips with Pagemaker, the very idea of DTP on a screen that size!!!

So yes I found myself contemplating a Mac Mini to get back into the swing of things and ended up with a cheese grater