Author: meles meles, Location: undergroundPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:57 pm Post subject: Migrating to Apple from PC ---- I'm thinking of purchasing an Apple computer to use as my main system - it will replace a Wintel desktop. I'm pretty good with Windows (2000 Pro), having used it for many years and W95 before that. I've dabbled with Linux for a couple of years but still consider myself a newbie there (Xandros and Mandrake). Recently, I have become more attracted to Apples and their Mac OSX and think that it may well be able to do evrything I need to do.
My one major concern is about security aspects of Mac OSX. Just how good is it ? I understand that it may be better than W2000 (almost everything is), but with W2000 I know the devil in question whereas with Mac OSX I would very much be a newbie and therefore might compromise a fundamentally good system through stupid errors. Am I correct in thinking that:
1. Mac OSX can encrypt home folders just like Xandros Linux ?
2. Passwords are needed to switch between users ?
3. External drives can be encrypted
4. OSX can access (read and write NTFS partitions on external or networked drives ?
5. Equivalents to Bestcrypt / Drivecrypt et al are available for OS X
I'd be interested in using an emulator such as VirtualPC so that I could run some Windows applications, for which I know of no Mac equivalents, on the iBook. Would it be possible to set this up to run Securestar's DriveCrypt PlusPack such that I could make use of the hidden OS facility?
Finally, do Powerbooks offer any great advantages over iBooks other than the video card (I don't play games) and a DVD -R capability ?
that will encrypt your home folder or you can roll your own as there are few Unix encryption utilities i think.
2) yes to switch users you must use the users pass word.
3) mmm not sure the mac filesytem hfs+ can do that, you can encrypt the files/ folders but not the drive its self but its not something i've ever needed to do so i could be wrong.
4) osx can read nfs drives but not wright, i did hear about a hack to make it possible to wright but no idea how good it is, on the plus connecting via SMB or NTF works well.
5) there are few shareware/freeware encryption programs but most likely would be any open source drive encryption utilities,