The statement above should be changed to “why a VPN is essential for all computer users”. This is because other forms of computers are also susceptible to malware, viruses, and hacker attacks, which can be prevented with a virtual private network (VPN). But for years, Mac users have believed that Apple computers are protected from computer viruses due to the superior security inherent in their operating systems. Mac users have also often held to the lofty assumption that no one would ever create a virus to infect a Mac, even if it were possible.
To understand why this historic Mac/Windows security debate exists at all, it’s important to look back at the early days of computing before we look at the benefits of a free VPN for Windows.
Apple Source
Back in the early 1980s, Apple and Microsoft worked closely together, and indeed the respective CEOs of the two companies, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs, were personal friends. In those days, Apple actually hired Microsoft to develop software for Mac computers, including the first Mac operating system.
But the business relationship soon began to cool as Microsoft single-handedly set about building its own MS-DOS operating system and Apple decided to hire its own developers, so Microsoft began producing the software itself.
Jobs complained that Gates and his team took shortcuts when developing less secure and stable software than Apple required, so the Microsoft operating system soon became cheaper because it was faster to build. As a result, Microsoft’s “Windows”operating system has become a hugely dominant player with a digital edge in the personal and small business PC market for many years.
The Apple hardware was significantly more expensive than what the machine manufacturers would choose to ship with Windows installed. As it happens, Apple computers (now known as Macs) were used almost exclusively by design companies, photographers, and the media due to their clear lead in graphics rendering. In short, Macs looked better, displayed colors faster, and ran imaging software much more efficiently than Windows computers. But Macs cost about three times as much as PCs, so companies using computers for commercial applications like spreadsheets, email, and the like didn’t need the luxury of Mac OS and expensive hardware.
Prince of Darkness
All is well and good so far. However, in the mid-1990s, Microsoft became notorious for its extremely cutthroat and anti-competitive practices, including entering into exclusive licensing agreements with computer manufacturers that prevented them from selling machines without the Windows operating system. In addition, Microsoft has also hardcoded its Internet Explorer web browser as the default non-removable web browser on Windows computers so that any other browser loaded on the same computer will not work properly or, in some cases, be removed from applications. folder! Microsoft also began to sell its products at a loss in order to completely undermine the competition in the software market.
All of the above illegal activities earned Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, the title of “Prince of Darkness”in the computer world. It wasn’t until Microsoft was fined millions and millions of dollars and threatened with forced shutdown by the US government that they changed their practices for the better in the early 2000s.
All these commercial abuses resulted in hundreds of computer hackers writing viruses just to disable Windows machines. This was because Apple had a policy of publishing its code as “open source”, which meant that any developer could use Apple’s code to build their products. If Apple considered such a product of sufficient quality, they would recommend installing it on Mac OS.
Stop and deliver!
On the other hand, Microsoft kept its source code top secret, so the only people who could develop applications for Microsoft were company employees or contractors. For years, Microsoft was seen as the evil, money-hungry bad guy, while Apple Inc spread good karma.
So there was a time when computer hackers didn’t write viruses for the Mac; it would be tantamount to stealing from a church charity, and in any case, there were almost no targeted churches around, while writing a virus for Windows was a fair sport, robbing the carriages of the Sheriff of Nottingham by Robin Hood and his merry men!
But nowadays everything has changed. Many other computer users have switched to Macs, and the days of Robin Hood are long gone; hackers will now install ransomware and phishing attacks on both Windows PCs and Macs. Attackers’ methods have become more sophisticated – they do not take on the operating system (OS) of the machine, but rather a browser running on this OS, or a third-party email client that can still give out your passwords and install malware. even if your main OS remains the same.
Cloak and dagger
Mac or Windows, whether using a free VPN that installs as a browser extension, can protect you from installing viruses by encrypting your Internet connection with a proxy server that also anonymizes and hides your browsing activity.
Using a VPN ensures you don’t get hacked, your ISP can’t throttle your data (i.e. slow it down because you use too much) or sell your activity logs. You can select an international server to bypass geo-restricted content streaming and access websites normally restricted to certain connections, such as Facebook from your school WI-FI network.
The VPN is downloaded as a tiny installation file; then you can protect any browser used on your computer; you can use Firefox for work and Chrome for personal surfing. Both can be protected with a free Windows VPN, keeping your web activity unlogged and anonymous, and keeping your computer free of viruses, malware, and trojans.
We hope you enjoyed your short history lesson. Happy surfing!