Posted: 10/16/2012 6:43:45 PM EDT
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Hey folks.
My girlfriend needed a new comp for school, so I picked her up a Macbook Air for her birthday/early Christmas. The only issue, is that I'm a PC guy and always have been as far as computers. I have an Iphone and an Ipad, but that is the limit of my Apple knowledge. What I need to know is, what is the best free AV software, the best spyware software, and a good office app. (I use MSE, Anti-Malware Bytes, and Spybot search & destroy for windows) Also any other must have apps? Thanks for the help! |
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You do not need any AV or spyware software on your mac.
As for a Office app I run MS office for Mac. You can get the student version for 99.00. That includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Another option would be Pages, Numbers and Keynote. These are program much like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Each one costs 19.99 |
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Quoted:
You do not need any AV or spyware software on your mac. As for a Office app I run MS office for Mac. You can get the student version for 99.00. That includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Another option would be Pages, Numbers and Keynote. These are program much like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Each one costs 19.99 This. Be aware, however, that some modicum of caution needs to be practiced with web surfing or opening junk mail, just to be sure. |
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For security, the single most effective thing a person can do is not use an admin account for daily operation. Operate with a standard user account and use the admin user and password only if needed - and if you understand the prompt. ClamXav, based on the Clam engine is worth a look. I don't think spyware is really an issue. Just keep Flash up to date once you install. The new machines ship without Java which also helps.
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Virus Barrier for the anti-virus, MS Office 2011 (full Suite), Adobe CS 6, and Onyx for quick (command line-like) tasks, Super-Duper for cloning.
The 4 best aspects about a Mac are: 1) You can use the hidden, locked start-up partition to rebuild or repair the system (or it's installation) by holding Commnd + R during a restart to use "Disk Utility." 2) There are no .dll files to compromise the entire bleeping system (killed me on PCs (more then one brand)). 3) Everything is set up easily and it all syncs well (newbies better off than some older users). 4) No virus issues and no virus software (per se) in 5 years of usage. The worst aspects, by contrast are: 1) Cost as a function of value of hardware is behind PCs (imho). Apples cost more by a significant amount. 2) Software issues with associated devices (architecture) is still sketchy (no flash, few accessories); I lost a lot of accessories from latest new designs (of Apple's). 3) All this stuff is Chicom made and at (basically) slave wages. 4) Takes a long time to learn all the shortcuts that my buddies (long time users) use to 'clean up' their machines. |
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Quoted:
For security, the single most effective thing a person can do is not use an admin account for daily operation. Operate with a standard user account and use the admin user and password only if needed - and if you understand the prompt. ClamXav, based on the Clam engine is worth a look. I don't think spyware is really an issue. Just keep Flash up to date once you install. The new machines ship without Java which also helps. Admin account or no, you need to enter your password before changes are made to your system - that really inhibits malware/viruses. FWIW, Sophos Anti Virus seems to be the standard these days for universities and other places that manage a lot of macs. Not sure how good it is, but there you have it. |
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I run fast and loose on my mac.If you're smart about it, the virus issue really isn't an issue, same with spyware.
In addition to the above already mentioned: Get the Flip4Mac quicktime plugin, helps with some files. Firefox and Chrome, some websites are a little funky in the newest version of safari. See if you can get a student version of MS Office from the school for cheap. |