I just bought my first Mac ever (G5 Dual Processor) and I love it!!!

[ALago1]

I've been using PCs for 10 years, but recenlty decided to take the plunge and buy a Mac. The purpose of this new computer was to mainly do audio production (recording/mixing/editing/etc.) and I've heard that Macs are the way to go for these functions.

I can't stress how awesome this thing is. It's handling boatloads of audio data very well and rarely has any slowdown problems. I can only imagine how many times a PC would have crashed performing the tasks I'm using my Mac for. Plus, Logic is an amazingly easy sequencer to learn and use.

Anyway, I wanted to ask everyone's opinion on something. I'm wondering whether I would be putting my data and new computer at risk by plugging in to the internet. I've heard that viruses/spam and spyware are rarer to come across when using a Mac online so should I worry about such things? I have a PC laptop that I still use to connect to the internet so maybe I'll just stick with that.

Thanks!

[Rob H.]

1. The Mac has a built-in firewall

Launch System Preferences, under Internet & Network click on Sharing, then click Start if your firewall isn't already active. (It may be active by default, I don't remember.) You can also click the "Advanced..." button and then activate any of these features: Block UDP Traffic, Enable Firewall Logging, and Enable Stealth Mode. My favorite is Enable Stealth Mode--the description says, "Ensures that any uninvited traffic receives no response--not even an acknowledgement that your computer exists."

By the way, welcome to the wonderful world of Macintosh! :)


Edit: I should also add that I have Personal File Sharing off, Remote Login off, FTP Access off, Apple Remote Desktop off, and Remote Apple Events off. These are all listed under "Services" in the Sharing preferences. They may also be off by default, but I don't remember. In fact, it may not even be necessary to turn them off, but I figure better safe than sorry.

[complain jane]

2. Welcome, I just bought a new G5 after 2+ years on the dark side.

I thought I'd like a PC better for a few reasons.

After spending 2 years working on them at work and at home, I learned my lesson.

I brought home my new 2.0 ghz dual-core the night before Thanksgiving and I absolutely LOVE it! The apps that come with the OS have really come a long way since I left. They're better than anything on the PC side, hands down.