So I bought a macbook, now what?

Two things - first, I read about an exploit done through the apple keyboard firmware that seemed like a huge vulnerability, letting the hacker gain root access, but that's probably the only thing I've ever seen regarding OS X exploits. Second, I think Apple has seriously dropped the ball with their batteries. I have an iPod which has gotten consistently worse battery life, to the point now where I have to charge it every single day, even when I barely use it at all. Either that or it refuses to turn on without being connected to the power supply, even if there's still battery power remaining. I can only imagine how much worse it is with macbook batteries.
 
Just my 2 cents here. There have already been a couple really great apps listed, here are a few I didn't see.
LittleSnitch
Geektools
Bowtie
Candybar
ChickenoftheVNC

Edit, forget to mention DragThing
 
Last edited:
As someone mentioned earlier, Quicksilver just rocks:
http://docs.blacktree.com/quicksilver/what_is_quicksilver
http://www.blacktree.com/


Figured I would bump it again. Think of it as the ultimate replacement for the start menu, (for many things) even basic finder tasks and even term commands. The only downside to Quicksilver is it will make you wish there was something similar for Windows. I have found a few that come somewhat close, but nothing that you could really call a Quicksilver equivalent for Win.
 
No matter what you do, plop down 12.95 for AppZapper. It will make sure that every app you want to delete is completely gone. I use LaunchBar, but GoogleQuickSearch Box and Quicksilver are awesome as well.
 
Zuriick said:
No matter what you do, plop down 12.95 for AppZapper. It will make sure that every app you want to delete is completely gone. I use LaunchBar, but GoogleQuickSearch Box and Quicksilver are awesome as well.
Click to expand...

Or get AppCleaner for free. AppZapper is no longer being developed either
 
PanzerKrieg13 said:
That said, I've noticed over the past few days my battery isn't going above 96%. When I use my MacBook Pro, I normally always have it plugged in. Should I only plug it in when it needs to be charged?... I honestly still have little experience with laptops and virtually none with Mac, so I'm curious about the details...
Click to expand...

I believe in that scenario it's actually electing itself not to keep charging the battery such a small amount to preserve it's total capacity on the long-term. Other laptops do that as well.
 
MurderCityDevil said:
.... I read about an exploit done through the apple keyboard firmware that seemed like a huge vulnerability, letting the hacker gain root access, but that's probably the only thing I've ever seen regarding OS X exploits. ....
Click to expand...

And that was just a proof of concept, not an actual live exploit. Ontop of that, that isn't a virus.
 
MurderCityDevil said:
Two things - first, I read about an exploit done through the apple keyboard firmware that seemed like a huge vulnerability, letting the hacker gain root access, but that's probably the only thing I've ever seen regarding OS X exploits.
Click to expand...

Vulnerabilities, exploits, and viruses are all different things. A vulnerability is a potential flaw; an exploit is a method to take advantage of a vulnerability. A virus is completely separate.

There are vulnerabilities in OS X just as there are vulnerabilities in everything, but there are no in-the-wild live viruses for OS X. Thus no need for an antivirus program.

For now.
 
Virus = Self replicating program that can cause data loss and file corruption, as well as spread to other systems through various medium.

The definitions for vulnerabilities and exploits that Terpfen posted above are spot on.
 
My work requires me to travel somewhat frequently so it's nice to be able to get more than 6 hours of Wi-Fi time in OSX while browsing or a couple hours in XP while gaming.

It's also nice to be able to plug-in the charger and game, unlike those those other netbooks or ULVs that can't game as well.

Otherwise, if you soley need a machine a surf the internet with high battery life, get a different machine.

I'm not at all dissatisfied with my decision to spend $1200 on a 13" MBP. A hell of a lot better than my $500 D630, which died after 14 months.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top