Can anyone recommend some antivirus for a macbook? Particularly any that is free to download? Also can anyone recommend/discourage me from downloading a torrent of MS office for Mac? The free trial has expired.

Thanks

Why do you need anti virus on a Mac?

I don't run any, haven't had an issue for 4+ years of ownership. On Bootcamp I run AVG though.

There is an OSX version of Open Office which is free in both senses of the word, and unless you're a proper power user there isn't much that goes wrong between the formats.

To answer Pete – the same reason as I run it on our linux servers.

It's unlikely, but there is always a possibility of a virus, een in a well controlled environment.

But, as I said, I've not felt any need to yet.

Why do you need anti virus on a Mac?
+1

I use littlesnitch, tells you when websites try to access your computer.

I got a dodgy version of ms office of a chinese website never had any trouble with it, only need a serial number.

OS X is pretty good at not allowing a virus to do anything nasty to your computer, unless you do something like type in your admin password for it when it wants to install.

Yes, that does sound unlikely, doesn't it? BUT… downloading and installing some "dodgy version of MS Office" or equivalent is just the type of "way in" that is used to get nasty code onto an OS X machine…

Work on the principle that, so long as you only install trusted applications, you'll be fine.

downloading and installing some "dodgy version of MS Office" or equivalent is just the type of "way in" that is used to get nasty code onto an OS X machine…

Some justice in the world, then !

+1 on the no antivirus.

Maybe I'm being naieve, but in 3 years of Mac ownership, I've never needed it!

Oh, and as far as MS office goes, unless you're a power user, just download Open Office for Mac. It's 95% as good, and you only notice the difference when you're doing some very applied stuff in Excel IMO. And if you're using Excel in anger at all, you'll probably be wanting to do it on a Windows machine (or at least on Windows in a Virtual Machine inside OSX) as I find the layout of Excel on a Mac VERY fiddly and confusing for anything other than basic use.

Can't help with antivirus, but there is a good copy on the pirate bay, with programs like that its always worth asking whether it is worth the money saved as it is only £100. Other options would be to ask around your local asian area or even students. The best fake i've seen was adobe CS3 import from Singapore, it was so good easy to load worked perfectly.

Never bothered with any antivirus – and I have installed all sorts of dodgy software 😉

6 odd years of AV free mac use here – so nothing to help you out I'm afraid.

While you're at it, go for iWork – unless you need to use MS Orifice for some reason.

Thanks for the advice, the antivirus was kind of in lieu of downloading some dodgy software anyway.. ha.. but Open Office sounds good, it's actually my girlfriends computer and she'll be mainly using word and powerpoint, I guess the most important thing is that the powerpoint is compatable with MS Powerpoint as she'll be using it for presentations at college and transfering hers to a machine with MS. Anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks again

Why do you need anti virus on a Mac?
+1

Just so you know, some Mac app torrents have had trojans/viruses added to their installers.

There's nothing magical about Macs or UNIX-like systems that protect them from running malicious code.

OS X is pretty good at not allowing a virus to do anything nasty to your computer, unless you do something like type in your admin password for it when it wants to install.

Yep, and even if you don't type your admin password they can balls up your home directory (eg. losing all your data) or run themselves when you log in (and log your keystrokes etc) .

guess the most important thing is that the powerpoint is compatable with MS Powerpoint as she'll be using it for presentations at college and transfering hers to a machine with MS. Anyone have any experience of this?

You can get Office 2008 for quite a reasonable price if you're a student.

BBR:

Also can anyone recommend/discourage me from downloading a torrent of MS office for Mac? The free trial has expired.T

Just buy the f**king thing if your going to use it.

*stomps off*

Think i'll give the open office a go then, as I asked above, anyone had any compatability problems with Power Point between MS and Open office (Mac versions)

The student edition of MS office is still approx £100 so if I can get something as good for free then why not.. its not as if Bill Gates needs the money. Jamie, you don't work in IT do you?

Think i'll give the open office a go then, as I asked above, anyone had any compatability problems with Power Point between MS and Open office (Mac versions)

Yes. Lots of problems with Power Point vs Presenter (I think that's what the OO thing is called).

Things work fine if you use just Power Point, or just Open Office Presenter, but the moment you start transferring things from one to the other, things break.

It is particularly bad if you use videos, web links etc, but even things like images sometimes go a bit wobbly.

If you need to view presentations from Presenter on someone else's PC, best way is to save as a PDF, although obviously not a goer if you have video / audio.

Open office writer / word compatibility is somewhat better, although if you do anything cunning with formatting, or are particularly tight for space, you need to open things up in Word and check that it has the right number of pages, as sometimes things format very slightly differently. Also if you are using other people's templates (we have to do it for publications) be careful, as sometimes it can change them slightly, meaning it gets rejected by the person you send it to and causes a whole load of hassle.

If she is at college, then office is only £40, and you get the full version too, with all the bits. Although it occurs to me, I don't know if they do a mac version on that deal, probably do…

http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-uk/default.aspx

Joe

idem to joemarshall..