[Mmmmmoo]

I'm obviously new to the whole Mac OS thing or else I wouldn't be asking. Just got myself a new iBook G4 and wireless internet is gold. I've done a lot of searching on these forums for answers to my questions regarding antivirus and firewall programs and I've come to the following conclusions:

1) Antivirus isn't absolutely necesssary,
2) Firewall is included and is available in the OS itself, and
3) The chances of getting a virus or getting hacked into is pretty slim if you're smart about these things.

So, basically I'm just wondering whether I can go about by not getting any antivirus programs at all. Same goes for the firewall. I figure since there aren't many viruses and other such baddies targetted towards the Mac anyway, I can save myself the time and money. And since Mac OS X already has a built in firewall, I can just use that.

Keep in mind, while I use the iBook mostly at home behind a router/firewall. I would like to bring it to school as well where they do have wireless internet set up. Also, not sure if this matters but since it's an IT school, 99% of all the computers there are PCs. I've only seen 2 iBooks and 1 PowerBook in the entire computer building, compared to the majority that are PCs.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.
(Sorry for the long post, didn't realize I typed so much.)

[discotronic]

As of right now there are zero viruses for OS X. I wouldn't bother spending the money on one. The firewall built into OS X is just as good as a third party firewall. If you want more control over the firewall you may have to go with a third party vendor.

It is still possible for you to spread an infected file to someone even though it won't do anything to your system. I'm not sure which anti-virus program for Macs will scan for Windows viruses. I don't think Norton does but I could be wrong.

As it stands right now I wouldn't spend any cash on those items. Save up and get more RAM.

[Mmmmmoo]

Thanks for the advice. I've already upgraded the RAM to 768MB, so I'm just saving up for iLife '05 (just for iPhoto) + Mac OS X Tiger.

[discotronic]

When did you get the iBook? If you purchased it after iLife 05' was release you should have gotten it with your iBook.

[Mmmmmoo]

Actually got it right before Christmas. Guess I should've waited, but I really wanted to buy myself something for an early Christmas present.

I also just realized it's taken me nearly three years to buy a mac, if you notice the date at which I registered here.