Is there anything I should *NOT* download/run on MAC OSX?

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As a newbie to the world of mac, having used pcs for all my life i know with pcs there are certain programs that u should avoid with pc because of virus/spyware etc.

since there havent been any rcorded viruses for the mac osx....are there still programs out there that i should avoid dling?

so far im looking to dl AIM (the aim on ichat is kinda funky), limewire (someone said acquisition is better although ive never heard of this?), utorrent,


also i need something to play wmv files...the reviews for flip4mac on the versiontracker website kind of scare me, someone said it left the flip4mac watermark on all their vids on imovie or something...


does anyone know of a free wmv file player?
 
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As a newbie to the world of mac, having used pcs for all my life i know with pcs there are certain programs that u should avoid with pc because of virus/spyware etc.

since there havent been any rcorded viruses for the mac osx....are there still programs out there that i should avoid dling?

so far im looking to dl AIM (the aim on ichat is kinda funky), limewire (someone said acquisition is better although ive never heard of this?), utorrent,


also i need something to play wmv files...the reviews for flip4mac on the versiontracker website kind of scare me, someone said it left the flip4mac watermark on all their vids on imovie or something...


does anyone know of a free wmv file player?
get adiumx instead of AIM
limewire for osx is great
use azureus for torrents


I love flip4mac. sometimes it takes a second to start the video but its worth it.
 
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get adiumx instead of AIM
limewire for osx is great
use azureus for torrents


I love flip4mac. sometimes it takes a second to start the video but its worth it.


adiumx...is that like trillion?

and are u saying to get it instead of aim because its less harmful to the computer or because u personally like it?>

ditto for azureus? personal preference or beter for computer?



i just dont wana pay for flip4mac considering that i know there must be some free players out there, also why are they charging for this program when u could play wmv files for free on pcs?!

there must be an alternative
 
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since there havent been any rcorded viruses for the mac osx....

Not entirely true, there are recorded viruses but on the scale of things it's not going to affect the average user.

See this quote from MacUser:

Despite their cool designer looks, Apple Macs are failing to capture interest amongst the counter-culture which writes viruses,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus. 'It's perfectly possible to write viruses for Apple Macs. Indeed, a Mac has no more inherent security than a PC, but virus writers appear to be motivated by a desire to cause widespread havoc and so have concentrated on the market leader.'

However Macs can be used as a conduit for mass mailing worms and pass them on unknowingly to Windows using friends or colleagues.

'Mass-mailing worms spread via the internet, forwarding themselves on to every email address they can find,' said Cluley. 'Worms don't know when they launch themselves whether they are being sent to an email address belonging to a PC or a Mac user. Many Mac users have found that their email inboxes are being filled up with PC worms which - although can do no harm on the Mac - are a nuisance to delete or may be manually forwarded on to unsuspecting PC colleagues.'

...limewire (someone said acquisition is better although ive never heard of this?), utorrent,

There are quite a few threads here on this so a quick search should give you a broader perspective on the options available.

...also i need something to play wmv files...the reviews for flip4mac on the versiontracker website kind of scare me, someone said it left the flip4mac watermark on all their vids on imovie or something...
does anyone know of a free wmv file player?

I use Flip4Mac, which lets QuickTime play wmv files on Macs and haven't heard about the scary side of F4M as you mention. VLC will play WMV files and is a free download.
 
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i didn't pay for flip4mac
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/28842

AIM is PPC so it does not work good on the new macs and the last realease was years ago. You said you dont like ichat, so adium is an alternative since its updated pretty frequent.

I recomended limewire and azureus because their osx version of the program is very good. I dont know about security.

You asking what program is most secure is a very hard question. In most cases its not the program that insecure, its the way someone sets it up.
 
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'It's perfectly possible to write viruses for Apple Macs. Indeed, a Mac has no more inherent security than a PC, but virus writers appear to be motivated by a desire to cause widespread havoc and so have concentrated on the market leader

I still disagree with this argument that is banded about. You've got an operating system sitting there that ripe for virus attack (according to Graham Cluley), but virus writers just don't bother because too little people use it?

Egotistical virus writers would love to bring down an OS that millions of people use - think of the publicity if you would get if you could be the first person to bring down a few thousand Macs. Sure the market share is a lot lower than Windows, but since there are thousands of viruses for PCs, writing another one would probably end up lost in the mire. If you could write the first widespread damaging virus for OS X, it would be news pretty quickly.

These idiots who want to destroy things are no different from vandals or graffiti artists - they want to cause a nuisance and people to know who did it (albeit without being caught). If OS X wasn't secure, we'd have a fair few viruses by now.
 
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I still disagree with this argument that is banded about. You've got an operating system sitting there that ripe for virus attack (according to Graham Cluley), but virus writers just don't bother because too little people use it?

Egotistical virus writers would love to bring down an OS that millions of people use - think of the publicity if you would get if you could be the first person to bring down a few thousand Macs. Sure the market share is a lot lower than Windows, but since there are thousands of viruses for PCs, writing another one would probably end up lost in the mire. If you could write the first widespread damaging virus for OS X, it would be news pretty quickly.

These idiots who want to destroy things are no different from vandals or graffiti artists - they want to cause a nuisance and people to know who did it (albeit without being caught). If OS X wasn't secure, we'd have a fair few viruses by now.

you raise a good point there. I've known PC users to hiss at macs whenever they see them, haha - so I think a few of them would like to take down a few (thousand) macs.

But I have to disagree with you on the matter of graffiti. Some of the guys who do that (at least around my area) display exceptional design and illustration skills - gallery standards - something I can relate to. Some even work with shop owners to promote their businesses along the train lines. Tagging on the other hand, deserves no respect, and is a waste of paint, time, money and space.

Back on topic then. The software you shouldn't download will depend on the kinds of apps you use. Quite literally, there are thousands of apps you shouldn't download, but most probably wouldn't apply to you anyway. I always check for ratings and reviews before downloading. You can easily make your judgements from that.
 
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Sorry, yes you're right about the graffiti - I'm talking more about graffiti 'vandals' as opposed to graffiti artists.
 
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bumping this old thread...

what are the pros and cons of VLC player and flip4mac?

and why ar some people saying flip4mac doesnt work and some say it does??
 

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i don't think there is a con to vlc. it just works.

flip4mac seems to work for me. at least i think it does, since it seems just like a codec for wmv on qt. and i've been able to play every wmv i've come across.
 
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I'm new to flip4mac, but to answer your question about AIM and Adium..

AIM crashes frequently on Macs because the last OSX version came out about a year ago. AIM on a Mac is basically trash. Adium is similar to the PC version of Trillian or Miranda, but personally I like it a lot better. It has all the features of AIM (direct connect, view profile, create profile..etc), and it can also be customized with your personal likes.

http://www.adiumxtras.com

That will bring you to a variety of customizations that you can use with it.

cheers
 

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