OS X does not yet? UNIX probably will not change that much and the adoption of a different CPU architecture should not change this. (remember Windows is a virus ridden piece of bloatware because it is crap: Microsoft, rather than ever ACTUALLY ever fixing/re-writing a piece of code just produce a flaky patch to cover up the worst of its deficiencies. UNIX covers multiple platforms, is far more stable and the core operating system is open source (and is, IMO, therefore only pointlessly hackable/trashable)

kim

PS. The only examples of 'malware', that I am aware of so far, for a Mac, exploit holes in software that comes from the world of Bill Gates

[quote]Your running a business, don't worry about trends and forums, buy the tools you need to make money today. There is always something around the corner. PowerMac G5's will be the LAST machines to be updated to Intel, because people making their living out of the boxes need stability.

So I'd buy a G5 now and not worry about it. There are alot of Photoshop plugins, apps like Noise Ninja, PTMac etc which will take a while for then to move to providing an Intel binary.

********

This exactly why I bought my Quad now. I've needed more grunt for a while, but knowing the Quad was due and the Intel PMacs were at least 12 months, if not more, away I waited. All my apps work now (of course) and will continue to work and be supported for the next few years. By the time I'm ready to buy a Intel G6(?) all my apps (which I make my living with) will be 100% debugged as will 10.5 or 10.6.

Get a PMac now (if that is what you need) and rest easy that you can continue to work without hassles or glitches for at least 3-4 years. Possibly not without envy, of course!

Renting, as far as I can see, only works for businesses that are intelligent about cash flow, and are renting large amounts of gear - $4000 or more worth, as well as always intending to upgrade to the latest equipment every few years. There's also the issue of depreciation vs. the tax write-off on rental payments, which requires the knowledge of a good accountant.

I'm only relatively new to using a Mac, and don't know very much about Unix at all - you may be absolutely correct about the strengths of Unix.

However, that doesn't stop applications running on OSX being security risks does it? The SANS Institute seems to think there are some, especially with Safari http://www.sans.org/top20/#u2

Eventually there will be some. There have been wide open holes in OSX in the past that would allow the creator of a webpage to run any code they wished on a visiting mac, as administrator, without the user needing to do anything more than visit the page. There are plenty of smaller vulnerabilities (a few with exploits) between each security update that might allow malware to jump up privileges a peg or two, and there are, as always, an infinite number of pieces of malware that can do real damage to your data if you run something you downloaded from an untrustworthy source. (and remember all - while OSX may normally require an app to get your password from you if it wants to mess with the system, that offers NO protection from an app trouncing all over your home folder, or running in the background and spying on you, or running in the background and using your networking connection to send spam out to the world).

So far there's no malware, and it's not because of one simple reason (be it a secure system, or small userbase, or lack of knowledge from crackers/malware authors, or smart users) rather it's a bit of everything. Eventually we'll be successfully attacked...

...but not yet

dana