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chas_m

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With respect, I must protest the over-simplification of my previous post. Words have meanings, usually clarified in dictionaries. They don't just mean whatever people want them to mean, or think they mean. As an attorney, you are better acquainted with this than most people.

So when I say the Mac doesn't have any viruses nor is likely to ever have any, I base this not on my own personal interpretation of what constitutes a virus, or any "layman" version, but on the generally-accepted definition seen here and elsewhere:

https://www.wordnik.com/words/computer virus

I'm not responsible for, nor can I edit my posts to accommodate, the fact that people often confuse any sort of malware or problem they don't understand with the term "virus," anymore than I can endorse the US political interpretation of "socialism." I have to use the accepted general definition in order to communicate my point properly.

In my previous post, I qualified my statements correctly based on those definitions (you even quoted me qualifying that I'm using the standard definition of "computer virus"!). I didn't say -- and took pains to avoid the inference -- that because the Mac doesn't suffer from viruses means that it is immune from any sort of threat. As for Flashback and similar threats, we both should have mentioned that Apple itself includes an anti-malware tool within OS X -- called XProtect -- that is silently and periodically updated to stop such third-party threats, further removing the need for users to worry excessively.

In my view, the right way to have an intelligent discussion about potential threats to the Mac is to make sure that we're all using a common nomenclature with the standard definitions understood. This is especially crucial in a text-based medium, which is why people here spend a LOT of time (gently and patiently) deciphering and seeking clarifications on what inexperienced users describe so that we full comprehend what they intended to say and mean. It's very important -- as important as giving the correct answer as you so often and brilliantly do -- that we not create false impressions by allowing incorrect definitions of words to propagate. Allowing "virus" to mean "any kind of malware threat" by accepting that terminology would wreak great harm, and consequently I did and always do take the time to clarify what I mean when I say there are no viruses for Mac.

In my original post, I didn't say there "never will be" viruses as you infer at the ending. I actually said "nor are there ever likely to be," which is not the same thing. Nothing is impossible, but there are some things we can be pretty certain about even if its not possible to quickly prove it. I've drunk the kool-aid on the truth of evolution, despite my lacking a degree in biology. I understand UNIX and OS X (and in particular what Apple has done with regards to security over the past few years) to make that statement with great confidence and understanding of what it would take to create an actual "virus" for OS X today.

We are, as far as I can tell, on the same page when it comes to viruses and significant threats to the Mac. You've mistakenly claimed that I'm trying to "get users to believe that there is no malware for the Macintosh" when in fact my post above *very clearly* qualifies the "virus" statements to NOT include malware or other types of threats, as a re-reading will confirm.

My long record of posts to Mac-forums on this topic also consistently differentiate between the threat of "computer viruses" and other sorts of threats, as I think you would find doing a search. If I'd said "there aren't any viruses on the Mac" and left it at that, it would be true but worthy of score for being incomplete, and not helpful in disseminating the reality and complexity of the situation.

Luckily, I don't do that. :)

As always, I marvel at the thorough and updated tips and program recommendations you freely provide for users here and elsewhere. You are a much-appreciated resource that I am constantly referring others to when they want the straight scoop on all things Mac. Thanks very much for all you do, sir.
 
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Words have meanings, usually clarified in dictionaries. They don't just mean whatever people want them to mean, or think they mean. As an attorney, you are better acquainted with this than most people.
In addition to being an attorney, I have two degrees in Anthropology. Within that field I've studied both linguistics and folklore. I know that language, including the English language, isn't static, and it isn't as a third grade English teacher might portray it. Words mean what people think they mean. They aren't set in stone, nor are they governed by a strict set of rules imposed by some authority. A dictionary definition can therefore be incorrect and/or hopelessly out of date. (Dictionaries get updated all the time.) In linguistics we use the term "common usage makes it right." And if common usage has made something "right", then it is not necessarily appropriate to go around forcing another definition on people. Indeed, some folks consider this to be annoying and rude. (Hence the term "pedantic.")

As an attorney I know that to be clear, you need to use the best words so that folks understand the idea you are trying to get across. Often that means using common idiom, if that seems the best choice, rather than go through the trouble, and uncertainty, of educating your audience.

I rarely come across anyone who is a personal computer user who thinks that "virus" means anything other than "all malware." Only folks who hang out on computer discussion lists all the time commonly know the difference, and not always then.

That being the case, I never assume that anyone knows the dictionary definition of "virus", and I never use the term without defining it if I don't intend it to mean what my audience likely thinks that it means. Doing otherwise would be misleading.

Most Mac users don't care about the difference between self-propagating malware (viruses), and Trojans, etc. At least they don't in the context of the question: "Are there viruses for the Macintosh?" All they want to know is if malicious software threats exist that they should be concerned about.

As for Flashback and similar threats, we both should have mentioned that Apple itself includes an anti-malware tool within OS X -- called XProtect -- that is silently and periodically updated to stop such third-party threats, further removing the need for users to worry excessively.

Go back and read my previous posts in this very thread. I mentioned Quarantine/XProtect and even gave links to more information about it.

In my original post, I didn't say there "never will be" viruses as you infer at the ending. I actually said "nor are there ever likely to be,"
Yes, and I agreed. Writing a virus for OS X is hard. It's time consuming and expensive and it is likely not a profitable endeavor for the sociopaths who might consider writing one for profit.

But, as I pointed out, there have *already* been several viruses created for OS X. I was just making the point that while it may not be "likely", that it isn't impossible as many folks like to go around saying.

... If I'd said "there aren't any viruses on the Mac" and left it at that, it would be true but worthy of score for being incomplete, and not helpful in disseminating the reality and complexity of the situation.
Exactly. Saying that "there are no viruses for the Macintosh" is technically correct, but, given the definition that most people use for "virus", it would also be a deceitful statement without further explanation.

Thank you for your clarification!
 

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