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Chris took us back in IFA History with a look back at the early years of the show:
The history of electronic exhibitions began on December 4th 1924 with the German Radio Show in Berlin in Germany, where the art of engineering was most advanced. The event attracted more than 200 exhibitors to display the new technical wonder machines on an area measuring 75,000 sq. feet. The public was excited; more than 180,000 people came to this event. They were fascinated by the detectors and the first valve radio receivers on show and to the fantastic new world of listening to something transmitted from distant locations to their home. The show still exists as IFA and is one of the biggest consumer tech shows in the world.
John in Carroboro, NC listens on WPTF and asked:
Can you tell me why it is in general, Mac computers don’t seem to need to run any virus software and Windows computers do?
Because, in general, there are more viruses for Windows than Mac.
It used to be that was a simple matter of the size of the target. There were a lot more Windows computers, and if you were going to write a computer virus or malware, why not shoot at the biggest possible pool of potential victims?
That’s still true, of course, but Macs have sold well enough in recent years to have attracted the attention of virus and malware authors. However, it’s a bit trickier to get a virus infecting your Mac than it is Windows because of how the operating system itself works. Mac’s OS X operating system has its roots in Unix, and Unix is simply more secure than Windows.
Windows, for lack of a better word, ‘trusts’ its applications.
Windows, for lack of a better word, “trusts” its applications. It allows them access to the main system folders during installation, and as a result it’s easier to infect.
Now, that being said, Windows has been improving all the time in this regard. It has anti virus and anti malware systems built right in on its latest version, and it will do its best to warn you when something suspicious is going on.
And Mac has been getting some viruses, or at least malware, aimed their way. A recent vulnerability in the Flash player could leave Macs entirely open to being taken over by hackers. So there are Mac anti virus programs available now.
However, in general, if you keep your Mac updated and you don’t download software from sketchy sources, you’re not in much danger of catching something. Yet, in general, the same is true of Windows 10.
Remember, most virus and malware programs get on your computer through human engineering–they trick you into inviting them in. Be very very careful of email attachments and web links. Use a more secure browser, like Google Chrome, which is resistant to Flash vulnerabilities. And don’t install programs that don’t come from a reputable source. Be safe out there!