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Need Anti-virus Software? Or Not?

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       Need anti-virus software?  Ward Stanke sends us some very useful information.  Read on:  Snow Leopard and Lion contain a malware blocker!  Here's an article from Macworld.  This malware blocker has been very quietly, but consistently, updated by Apple to handle the most dangerous, and the most recent, malware threats.  
        See this:   Mac Malware "Explosion" Missing In Action.
        Here's an excellent up-to-date web site about Macintosh malware....and an associated Macintosh Malware Catalog that rates the individual threat posed by each piece of malware.  Note that most of the threats listed were either rendered moot by an Apple update, or they never really worked, or they were never seen in the wild or in significant numbers.
        Mac OS X anti-virus software: More trouble than it's worth? Here's a review. 
       This is an article simply entitled "Wolf." It is about the press crying "wolf" for the past 7 years with regard to the "coming wave of Mac malware": Daring Fireball: Wolf!

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How's Your Battery Doing?

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"Do you have a Mac laptop?  Do you run on battery often?  Like to know more about how your battery is performing and the condition it is in?"  Jim Hamm asks.  He offers this link, saying, "You might take a look at the 'Battery Guru' app."But Jim, how does that compare with the iStat widget that comes up Function 4 key? Two shakes later we have his answer.  "Somewhat similar, I presume.  Here is the article in Small Dog Tech Tails #821 that describes more about the app." When you open that Tech Tails you'll also be entertained by the YouTube video of a truck running over an iPad.  Did you expect that?

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Drag & Drop Graphics

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        Prez Art Gorski found out how to do something nifty.  He writes, "This is a cool way to find interesting graphics that you see in application programs. Just drag and drop an application onto the Preview application and it will show you every graphic in the application. You can then save a graphic you like and use it elsewhere."   Thanks, Art. This might be fun to do.  Let us know how it works for you.

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Firewall: Yes? No?

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Jim Hamm started the discussion about Firewalls with, "You may have already read this article. In recent years not much has been written about firewalls — one way or the other. I leave mine turned on in my Macs and when running Windows on my PC. Ubuntu doesn't come with a firewall and I haven't checked to see if one is even available."John Carter sends this information, "The purpose of a firewall is to keep someone from hacking directly into your computer."  He goes on to explain in detail. "Without a firewall, a computer is open to attack even if you have an Anti-Virus application installed on the computer. In fact, you don't even have to be browsing the Internet to be hacked if you don't have a firewall; the computer just needs to be turned on and connected to the Internet. "However, a firewall is not a guarantee to stop spam and viruses that come through email or when browsing the Internet. An Anti-Virus application is best for that. Ubuntu does have a firewall, but it is not enabled by default. The firewall is ufw. "If you have a server (one computer providing access to the Internet for other servers in a network), the server is the only computer in the network that needs a firewall, unless a given computer in the network wants to block a port on that computer for some reason. "All new routers (and some modems) come with a firewall (a hardware firewall) and it is typically turned on by default, and this is probably the only firewall anyone ever needs. In fact, a router with a firewall is recommended, even if you only have one computer and if the modem itself does not have a firewall. "However, the modem/router may not have the features and/or flexibility that a computer firewall (a software firewall) can offer. "If you have both the modem/router firewall and the computer firewall enabled, and if you have ports open for access in the computer firewall (required by some applications), those same ports need to be open for access in the modem/router firewall. "It's a little more complicated than this, but the bottom line is that the author of that article is off-base about not needing a firewall. However, he is right about one thing: 'Firewalls tend to be horribly managed.'" John winds up his view of the issue with,  "If something isn't working right and you turn off the firewall and things start working right, call an IT professional to properly set up the firewall. One such professional works at CompuTime in Prescott." Anyone else jumping into the discussion?

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How to Make Safari Easier to Read

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        If you'd like to increase the font size on Safari web pages see this link that comes from Jim Hamm.  He tells us, "I set the font size to 18 in tip #one. Definitely makes web pages easier to read, although the article states this may not work on all websites. I haven't tried tip #two yet, but may try it later on."
       Or, try doing Command and + once, twice, or more to enlarge the Safari page.  If the site you're looking at has the Reader listed at the top click to delete the ads and bring up only the article. Then if you want it larger click on Command and + to bring it larger to read and/or print it from there.

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FREE Books From Amazon

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Here's another listing of FREE books from Amazon.  Jim Hamm informs us, "A few possible downloads I saw, but most seemed to be romance novels. Apparently, one has to check back periodically to see if any books of interest have been added."  Then he added, "I like the daily email of free books from Amazon that I get from the following link much better.""Didn't I see something earlier about ebooks?" you're asking.  Look along the right hand side for the listings.  Click to bring up the category.  There are 13 postings already about ebooks. "But, Jim, how can I read these FREE books on Mac if I don't have an e-reader like iPad?" John Carter gives us this solution: For all your Amazon e-books, download and use Kindle. Works on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. And it keeps your place when you go from one device to another. Got time to experiment with it, somebody?  Let us know!

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Your iPad and iPhone Can Scan

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        "Want to scan something and you're not anywhere near a scanner?"  John Carter questions, and then exclaims, "Yes, you are!  Your iPhone or new iPad can be your instant scanner anytime, anywhere with Scanner Pro 4. Scan a anything (even a bulletin board, including multiple pages) like you're taking a photo of it, and you now have a PDF file you can email, print, or update to Dropbox, Evernote, or Google Docs. The only thing this app doesn't do is optical character recognition (OCR). Price: $6.99 in the App Store."
        Want to learn more?  Don't miss the monthly PMUG meeting.

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Apple's Six Best Decisions

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        "Here's an interesting article and observation by Ted Landau of Apple's six best decisions — and why they make Apple the company it is today."  Jim Hamm goes on to elaborate,  "My only quibble with Ted is that the iPad should be included in the list. But he goes in detail explaining why he left this device out of his nominees. Possibly many of us — well, me, anyway — tend to think of Apple as a Mac, or computer, company. Not so much anymore. Here is a quote from the article: 'Apple’s success depended upon moving away from its focus on the Mac.' Hence, the dropping of 'computer' from the company name a while back."

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Comparison of 5 Anti-virus Applications

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        Let's hear from Prez Art Gorski, "Here's a quick review of anti-virus applications for the Mac.  I won't be installing any of these myself, but if you're worried about malware and don't mind the overhead of running this kind of software, give one of the free ones a try."
        Read about these 5 apps; two are FREE, and the others run from $39.95 to $49.95 a year.
        This is just in from Bobbie Pastor about Sophos, "This is a free download for your Mac.  John Carter considers this a good product."  See it here.

Where Did Those Parts Come From?

        What's your best guess?  Jim Hamm questions, "Where was your MacBook Pro — and all its innards — built?  It took some real detective work by the author of this article to find that out for his MacBook Pro.  This, or a similar scenario would probably apply to your computer as well, no matter the brand or model.  It's a real world economy we live in."
        Scroll down to the end of the article to find a link to a previous article with photos.

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Discussing Rival e-Book Readers

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        How compatible are the various rival e-book readers?  Jim Hamm forwards this link to David Pogue's article clarifying some of his earlier comments.
        So, Jim, what does Zee like best?  What do you like best?
         "Zee likes both her iPad and Kindle at different times. The iPad can't be used in sunlight or bright conditions, and it's heavier to hold. But, the display is bright and has color. Good for magazines.
        "The Kindle, on the other hand, is lighter and can be used in bright light. And, the small Kindle is only $79. Hard to pick just one.
        "Overall, I think the iPad has more flexibility, but it's a lot more expensive. If you only want to read ebooks, I'd get the Kindle. It's light and works great as a book reader. If you want more than just to read books -- email, surf the net, read the news, etc., the iPad is terrific. I really enjoy my iPad, as does Zee. Powerful device."

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Use Caution with QR Codes

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        You probably see them all over.  QR codes are getting more and more popular.  But here's a caution from Jim Hamm. "The hackers don't miss an opportunity. Take a read on this article, and be cautious of QR codes."
        Previously posted on this newsblog we called them "QR Tags"— see December 11, 2010; March 29, 2011; and January 29, 2012.
       QR code, a “barcode on steroids” — abbreviation for Quick Response Code, a type of matrix barcode was first designed for the automotive industry, invented by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. Here are 84 accounts of the use of QR codes.