I have to admit, these Mac ads are getting me worried. Yeah, I know I don't have anything to worry about. When I was a Windows user, I never got a single piece of spyware or a single virus. I didn't run antivirus software and I didn't have a better software firewall than came with Windows. So how did I make it all of those years without having my machine wrecked (other than when a Windows Update once destroyed my install)? Well, I wasn't an idiot. No offense to those who get spyware and viruses, but I honestly have no idea how it happens. It completely baffles me.

My first (and most important line of defense) was the router. I was always behind a router. One of those Linksys routers blocks all incoming traffic out of the box and the Cisco ones at work aren't worse. Since most people now-a-days are behind routers, the only other way to get infected with something is user-initiated. Do people just go around the internet and click on every shady graphic and ad they see? What the heck are these people looking for? I'm online most of my waking hours and I haven't come across anything bad at all.

Anyway, why am I worried? Well, yeah, I know things are a lot safer on this side of the fence. I also know that if I can survive on Windows where there are (lots of) spyware and viruses made specifically for that platform, I can survive on a Mac if it was the same deal. But right now, the Mac user-base isn't large enough for people to care about making spyware and viruses for. The more and more reports about Apple gaining customers makes me increasingly uneasy about the situation. The bear is already aware of what's happening. It knows it may have to do something soon and by Apple putting out these ads that say how Windows has 140 billion viruses and all of that spyware, none of which affect the Mac, they are essentially poking a big bear with a stick and screaming 'hey look, I've got a fish and I'm not giving you any!'.