Issue 11 -August 2004

Macs in your office
An Apple a day may keep computer viruses away
By Kenneth Martin, DC

In the movie, Pirates of the Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs says to Bill Gates: “We’re better than you.” Gates responds: “You don’t get it. It doesn’t make any difference”

Even though it was not the first personal computer (first was the Altair, followed by Radio Shack’s TRS-80), the Apple computer was the first to dominate the home and business market and began the revolution that now requires a computer in every office and sometimes, on every desk.

Apple’s computers allowed people to easily do those humdrum day-to-day calculations, compose letters and do something the company coined “desktop publishing.”

In 1981, IBM introduced its first computer with Microsoft's disk operating software. Then PC clones started to flood the market with faster and cheaper hardware from the Pacific-rim countries The Microsoft operating systems were the systems that worked, not the proprietary Apple software. Consequently today, Bill Gates is one of the world’s richest people, and his software is on 90 percent of the world’s computers.

Today’s computers are not limited to only what they can compute in an office or home, but almost all computers are connected to the Internet and take advantage of the benefits of the Web for a wealth of information, communication and audio-visual entertainment.

Unfortunately, this has also led to many problems due to software crashes, viruses and security breeches, many of which can be traced back to the operating system.

The reason these viruses are able to attack are due to security “holes” in the software that allow a program to function without your input.

Luckily, because most (if not all) viruses are written to take advantage of these security holes in PCs, Apple’s Macintosh line is generally not affected.

Today’s Macintosh runs a new and more efficient operating system called Mac OS X, which is built upon the very secure and stable UNIX model. The advantages of owning an Apple product are still very similar to what they were in years previous. The Mac:

• Is easy to learn. All programs essentially work the same.

• Is secure over the Internet. Most viruses don’t affect the Mac OS X system, which is also password-protected.

• Comes with built-in software.

• Possesses excellent video capabilities. When it comes to video, nothing else comes near the Mac’s capability in its price range.

HOW ABOUT SOFTWARE?
Many chiropractors hesitate to purchase Apple products because of two major obstacles: They are afraid they will not be able to communicate with PCs and share files and they are concerned about the availability of software.

Many chiropractic offices use only Macs equipped with MS office for the Mac (which allows file sharing with most of the PC world) as well as Quicken and Internet Explorer and Netscape, just like the PC world.

Their digital cameras, Palm devices, scanners and printers all plug into their Macs and work with less effort and less training of staff.

This ease of use and the consistency of the products developed for the Mac can give you a greater return on investment (ROI) than buying a less expensive PC. Add this together with the security of the operating system and you have a much better product that can do everything your PC did and in many cases, much better.

Apple continues to produce quality computer products at a fair price and will be around for a long time to come.

Dr. Kenneth Martin, a 1975 graduate of Pasadena Chiropractic College, practices in San Marino and Temple City, Calif., and teaches sports therapy for junior athletic trainers and physical therapy aides at Temple City High School. He can be reached at bacdoc@juno.com.