Continuing my article series about helping Windows users work with Macs and OS X, I figured that now would be a good time to talk about a huge question that PC users face when moving to (or at least visiting) the Mac platform: Do I Need to Run Antivirus Software on my Mac? After doing lots of reading and discussing, the answer I’ve come to is: (at least as of mid-2011)…not really.
MacOS Catalina includes new features to help everyone get the most out of Mac. Voice Control lets users who can’t use traditional input devices control Mac, iPad, and iPhone entirely with their voice. New tools for users with low vision allow you to zoom in on a paragraph of text or the entire screen. Using Mac OS X for Windows Users or complete beginners 3.9 (65 ratings) Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately. The thing that bothers me most about OS X is the lack of a 'Show desktop' function, or Windows + D for a shortcut in windows. On Mac you can trigger a similar function with F11, or set it yourself through the preferences menu.
But it's titled 'Mac OS-X for Windows Users', and with such a title one expects much more than this book delivers The author is lazy and sloppy at all turns. Other reviewers have mentioned the 'filler' material such as pro-Apple testimonials from 'Switchers', and the author's habit of saying 'this should work, although I didn't try it'.
OS X is Fundamentally Different from Windows
OS X is built on UNIX, and therefore is inherently much more secure than a Windows system. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, UNIX does a much better job of security out of the box as opposed to Windows. Windows 7, however, has made great strides in improving security but still REQUIRES antivirus software (and anti malware software, as well). So while I wouldn’t dare go on the internet with a Windows system without using security software, I’d browse freely on the internet with a Mac and OS X.
OS X is built on UNIX, and therefore is inherently much more secure than a Windows system. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, UNIX does a much better job of security out of the box as opposed to Windows. Windows 7, however, has made great strides in improving security but still REQUIRES antivirus software (and anti malware software, as well). So while I wouldn’t dare go on the internet with a Windows system without using security software, I’d browse freely on the internet with a Mac and OS X.
Are there Viruses for the Mac?
Well, kind of. Generally speaking viruses and malware that’s written for Windows won’t run on a Mac . For the same reason that Photoshop for the PC won’t run on OS X, viruses written for Windows won’t run on a PC. That being said, if you want to be super-cautious, you can run an antivirus program for OS X (see below).
Well, kind of. Generally speaking viruses and malware that’s written for Windows won’t run on a Mac . For the same reason that Photoshop for the PC won’t run on OS X, viruses written for Windows won’t run on a PC. That being said, if you want to be super-cautious, you can run an antivirus program for OS X (see below).
Who Should Run an Antivirus on OS X?
If you walk into the Apple Store and ask about viruses on the Mac they’ll say, “You run Windows, right?”. Ask the majority of Mac users and they will give you a similar funny look and tell you that they don’t run antivirus. Coming from Windows, however, running ANY computer without some kind of antivirus software gives we PC users the feeling that we left the stove on — it’s dangerous and we wouldn’t do it.
If you walk into the Apple Store and ask about viruses on the Mac they’ll say, “You run Windows, right?”. Ask the majority of Mac users and they will give you a similar funny look and tell you that they don’t run antivirus. Coming from Windows, however, running ANY computer without some kind of antivirus software gives we PC users the feeling that we left the stove on — it’s dangerous and we wouldn’t do it.
The one group of people who I would recommend running an antivirus software on their Macs would be people who are running Windows in Parallels or Fusion on OS X. Naturally you will have to run antivirus on the Windows virtual machine, and while the odds of anything “crossing-over” from Windows to OS X is extremely rare, running an antivirus will make you sleep better at night (at least it made me sleep better).
So for the run of the mill Mac, you are pretty safe out of the box. But if you are running a virtual Windows machine (or if you spend a lot of time on websites that may have high risks for acquiring viruses), then I’d strongly consider running antivirus software.
What is the Best Antivirus Software to Use on the Mac and OS X?
Currently there are a few software programs out there for Mac users, the most notable commercial one being Norton. That being said, the one that I’d recommend at this time is ClamAV. ClamAV is a free (yes, FREE) n antivirus program for OS X that does a good job and (at least on my test system) has a minimal resource footprint (we PC users know all-too-well about antivirus program like Norton sucking the life out of a PC with all it’s loading, and scanning, and memory eating).
Currently there are a few software programs out there for Mac users, the most notable commercial one being Norton. That being said, the one that I’d recommend at this time is ClamAV. ClamAV is a free (yes, FREE) n antivirus program for OS X that does a good job and (at least on my test system) has a minimal resource footprint (we PC users know all-too-well about antivirus program like Norton sucking the life out of a PC with all it’s loading, and scanning, and memory eating).
ClamAV itself needs to be compiled, but there is a pre-compiled (e.g. you just run it) available and this program is called ClamXAV. ClamXAV can be downloaded from the link in the previous sentence, or can be downloaded at the App Store.
Note that there is a difference between the version you download and the App Store version. Due to certain App Store limitations, the App Store version cannot “run in the background.” So if you are running the App Store version you will simply need to run the program when you want to scan (or just leave it on and then scan on a regular basis). Currently I leave the program running and I scan once per week.
If you are a Windows user and need to make the switch to MacOS, it can seem difficult at first to navigate with the slight differences between the two operating systems. Here is a quick list of shortcuts and explanations for the MacOS system to make the transition easier.
The Dock
Like the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your screen, Mac has one that is similar called, The Dock. These icons within the Dock function have a few differences. There is a split within the Dock, where apps and shortcuts live on the left side, and document icons are on the right.
Left Side – On the left side of the Dock, are application icons and Finder. To add an application to the Dock, drag any application over or if the application is running, hit Ctrl + Click and select “Keep in Dock” so it will always appear. If you want to remove an application from the Dock to another location, drag the icon anywhere outside and the icon will disappear from the Dock.
Right Side – On the right side of the Dock, are documents and minimized windows. You can drag a document or folder to the Dock and it will stay there for quick opening. You can remove these folders and documents by dragging the icon outside of the Dock. To add a minimized window to the Dock, click the yellow circle in the open window. To restore the window, click on the icon within the Dock.
The Right Click
In Windows, your mouse allows you to right click to get property information, save and print options, etc. However with Mac OS you will notice you cannot right click, unless you turn it on manually. To do this, head over to the System Preferences in the Dock, and select Trackpad. Within the Point & Click section, checkbox the “Secondary Click” and select the drop down menu to complete setup. Now you can right click with options similar to Windows.
Screenshots
There are a few different ways to get the screenshot you need.
To capture the entire screen press Shift/Command/3 (or Shift-Command-5 for MacOS Mojave) on your keyboard and a menu of options will appear. Click “Capture Entire Screen.” Your pointer will shift to a camera icon that you can click anywhere on the screen. You will then be able to find the screenshot on your desktop.
To capture a single window, it is almost the same method as above. Press Shift/Command/4 (or Shift/Command/5 for MacOS Mojave) to have the menu appear. Click “Capture Selected Window” and your pointer will shift to a camera icon. Click the window you want to capture and a thumbnail of the screenshot will briefly appear in the corner of your screen where you can edit or take other actions. You will then be able to find the screenshot on your desktop as well.
Mac Os X For Windows Users Windows 10
To learn about how to screenshot the Touch Bar, portion of the screen, or Menu, click here for Apple’s support on these topics.
Closing Browsers and Programs
When closing a window browser or application (program) in Windows, you can click the X in the top right corner. In Mac OS, there is a red button on the top left but will only close the front most window but the application will still be open. Over time this can slow down your system and create frustration. To close out the application, there are a few methods: On the Dock, there will be a dot underneath all applications that are currently open. You can right click the icon and the option to close will appear. You can also go to the opened application, and head to the top left and select the dropdown and there will also be an option to close out the program.
The Finder
The Finder is similar to Windows File Explorer, where you can find files and folders on your hard drive or network. This is located down on the far left of the Dock. To see the path where the file/folder in question is, go to the View menu and select Show Path Bar. To see how many files are within a folder you are searching for and how much free space is available on your hard drive, head to the View menu again and select Show Status Bar. At the top you will see icons that allow you to change how you view the files. If you select the Icon view, at the bottom right there will be a slider that will allow you to enlarge or shrink the icons.
Cut, Copy, & Paste
Windows 10 For Mac Users
Copy and Paste are similar in Windows and Mac where you will select Command/C for Copy, and Command/V for paste. To Cut, you will have to copy first, then hold the Option key while pasting which will cut the selected file.
Learning a new Operating System can feel frustrating, but Mac is designed with users in mind to easily navigate. For more short tips on the Mac OS as a Windows user, go to Apple’s support section here.