The Mac virus

One of the things that I found pleasing about my MacBook (1-1/2 years old now) was the reduced chance of getting a virus.

I have suffered viruses in the past, on my DOS machines. One was on a pirated -- eek! -- copy of MS-DOS 4.

Yes, a long time ago, I tried out MS-DOS 4 with a pirated copy. I ended up buying a legitimate version, but wanted to try it out first. And it bothered me that it had a virus. ("Stoned" was the virus, by the way.) However, I obtained a clean copy ... pirated, though ... and reinstalled it. And I was satisfied enough to buy a copy. I later regretted the decision, and removed MS-DOS 4 and went back to DOS 3.3.

I bring that up, because it taught me a lesson: pirated copies of software aren't simply wrong (I knew that, but was immature enough to justify it in my mind), they were also dangerous.

Since then, I've helped many others remove viruses from their computers. And many, though not all, had been using pirated copies of stuff. Sometimes, it was a program/application (Microsoft Office, for example). Often it was illegal music or videos. And, sometimes, it was disguised with screen savers and other such.

The bottom line on all this, is that illegal software, music, movies, etc. is a bad, bad idea.

And not just for Windows computers.

Many Mac users like to act all uppity about their computers. And, in all honesty, I really, really like my Mac. But a good computer doesn't make a good computer user. Often, with Macs, it simply shows that some Mac users are assholes.

And dumbasses, too.

There's a virus in the wild for Macs. And, according to Intego, it's on Websites that offer pirated copies of iWork '09, an Apple office suite.

Once again, proving that pirated software is dangerous.

And, that thinking that Macs are safe from viruses is a false sense of security.

For some time, I've been running anti-virus software on my Mac. The current security suite I'm running is Intego Security Barrier.

If you're a computer user, regardless of your operating system, you really should be using a good security suite.

And if you're using illegal downloads, you deserve every bit of misery you suffer.