I have some questions about Macs. I don't know much about Macs (I use PC), but my brother just got an iMac.

1. Do they need any security software like anti-virus, spyware or firewall etc, if so what is good?

2. What's the best program to also run Windows on a Mac, are there any free ones?
If Windows is run on a Mac does that mean it is vulnerable to Windows viruses?

3. Are there some good free programs for Macs or anything else I should now about?

Thanks for any help.

I have not run any anti-virus or spyware programs on my mac, although there are some available. i have not had any problems with either (had my mac for a year and a half).

in terms of running windows, i have never done it, so i'm not sure what the best method is (leopard has a program called boot camp which allows you to partition your harddrive to setup windows, and then you have the option of booting into either one when you start up).

as to my understanding, once you run windows on your mac, it is a windows machine, which means it is vulnerable to all windows viruses and spyware

I have a macbook pro and I used bootcamp (which is free) to partition my harddrive and put windows on a small partition. Only the windows side is susceptible to windows ailments. However, there's no need to use the windows side for anything online. Anything I have to do with the internet is done on the mac side, and I only use windows for programs that I can't get for mac such as adobe audition.

sounds like a lot of work.

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun

thats really all you need to know

Not really. It took me all of 20 minutes to set up. And if I need to use adobe I just reboot to windows.

why adobe?

Don't be confused -- you still need the Windows software (which I imagine you have) in addition to boot camp.


And as far as free mac software, look no further than http://www.freemacware.com for a great starting point.

Because it's what I use.

Adobe has soundbooth now which runs on intel macs and would be similar to audition. It's not the exact same program but it's similar. I know you can't put a price on "its what I know" but honestly if you're doing any Audio/Video/Creative work on a mac, that's one thing you don't need to have windows for. I had about a dozen windows programs I used when making PJ dvds, and knew them really well. I bought Final Cut Studio 2 and while I had to re-learn some stuff, the applications are so much better integrated and mature, it was worth relearning things.

I too have a MBP. I did install boot camp when I got it because I hadn't owned a mac before and thought I would need the Windows crutch. But within a month I deleted the windows partition. I do use VMWare Fusion (which I recommend over Parallels Desktop) to run windows occasionally without rebooting. All I need it for is to install updates on my phone (windows mobile based), but the entire XP machine is a 7GB file and I could even run it off an external USB drive.

There's a ton of free software for the mac, and a ton of cheap software for little things too.