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Mac OS10.4 Tiger & it's many flaws
Mac OS10.4 Tiger & it's many flaws
Before the Apple nazis blast this post, I'd like to point out that I totally agree Tiger is the most advance OS ever and that Apple was able to deliver next-gen technology a year and a half before Microsoft. Honestly if Tiger was available on x86 hardware (and ran Windows apps), I'd be running it now and would probably forget Longhorn exists, but that's a dream world and not reality.
While I'm not going to bash Mac OS10.4 Tiger for having flaws, this really proves my past points that in order to have lots of features, expect to open the door for flaws.
The fact that Tiger has only been out 2 weeks and 14 flaws have been found (hey that's 1 flaw per day since release) is something Apple should be ashamed of, they obviously released the software without even the most basic security evaluation.
Ironically if MS released an OS and had to release 14 patches, Apple fanatics would have a field day, but yet Apple does it and all the Mac Nazis pretend it's not a big deal. I actually want to join the "just install the patches and go back to working" crowd but I'm sick of the Mac nazis trying to have it both ways, looking the other way when Apple screws up, but ranting for days when Microsoft messes up.
Most notable, the flaw Apple really needs to fire somebody over is the fact that dashboard applications can be installed without user consent just by access a webpage!!!!! Now while IE & ActiveX has had (keyword HAD) this flaw too, the difference is programmer have 2 years of knowing about, and possibly even working around this security concept but Apple makes the same exact mistake, in fact makes the mistake in a less sly manner. Apple WANTS software to be installed but yet some simple minded developer(s), nor did any of his coworkers fail to remember there are naughty people out there who will write malware. Especially when you compound the fact that absolutely no safe checks are performed on these auto-installs, to mitigate the issue, at least some security was put into Active X, even if it wasn't perfect, at least something existed.
This really starts to disprove the whole "Mac is more secure" arguement and only continues to prove my point about Novell's solutions not being the secure work of art that zealots (including my new fan) make it out to be. A lack of features does not constitute better security!!! Does a lack of features make it more secure? Yes, but only because it lacks features. I'll gaurantee a Dos 6 installation is 100x more secure than WinXP but that's because IT CAN'T DO JACK.
If you want safety, hide in a locked cade in your house all day but me, I'd rather get in my car and drive, it's more dangerous, but that's the cost of living your life. The same can be said about computers, expect security flaws continue to pour into the market as long as there is innovation.
I accept Tiger for it's flaws, and envy Apple's ability to provide XML apps on the desktop today, but at least acknowledge the fact that Apple is just as vulnerable as Microsoft, the only difference being is that traditionally Microsoft was lightyears ahead of Apple feature wise, Apple has only been winning the cosmetic war. MS may come out with 4-6 patches on average per month, but Apple hordes their security holes and release super patches that often fix a dozen or more flaws all at once. Which security model is better, well imho the sooner the patch comes out the better. Personally I hate the fact MS went to a monthly security model, I preferred the "when the patch is ready" model. But I would hate to live in Apple's world of sometimes waiting months to release a patch.
Ok I ranted enough for this week.
For those who want to read more on the subject:
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/Security-Hole-Bites-Apples-Tiger-131001OR6SEA.xhtml
http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/05/12/tiger.qt.exploit/
http://www.vnunet.com/news/1162958
Oh and on a tangent, to further prove MacOS10.x isn't the shinning glory of security that zealots think, it's no more secure than Windows, is the fact 20 security patches were just released all at once for OS10.3.9
http://stuff.techwhack.com/archives/2005/05/05/05052005-apple-patches-20-security-holes/
Update 5/17 - Apple has released the Service Pack for Tiger, 2 weeks after Tiger hit the shelves.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301517
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