To go Online or Not

[Winetree]

I bought a Mac Mini/I7 about 6 months ago to only do music on.
I'm running Harrison mixbus and AIR music programs.
I originally wanted to keep this computer offline,
even though the Mac O.S. seems like online is all it's designed to do. 
(Being old school, we use to strip down the O.S. system, keeping only what was needed.)
It's now getting more difficult to update and load new programs without being online,
Back and forth from the office P.C. with a memory stick.
Should I just give in, get a modem and go online with the Mac?

 

[helterbelter]

That's not a typical Mac problem. Modern day PC's also need to be online once in a while if you want to update the operating system.
But, let me ask you this :

Do you really need to update the OS ?

In the case of Windows, most of the updates are handling internetsecurity fixes. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. But on the other hand, in case you need to fix it, it'll be better to have a modem in the locker.

(in my case : I have a dedicated computer for music as well, and it's not connected to the internet)

Just my 2cts.

 

[anjing]

The reason not to be online on a windows pc was to keep the system away from any virus...This does not really apply for a mac.(i never had any virus in the 9 years i have been using a mac).
As far as updates go, if your system works why update it? If you update something it sometimes forces you do update something else, this might be time consuming and might create some incompatibilities thus breaking your workflow.

I personally choose to keep my audio setup offline because i feel the internet is distracting me  from making music.

Regards,

Pierre

 

[Andy Peters]

I bought a Mac Mini/I7 about 6 months ago to only do music on.
I'm running Harrison mixbus and AIR music programs.
I originally wanted to keep this computer offline,
even though the Mac O.S. seems like online is all it's designed to do. 
(Being old school, we use to strip down the O.S. system, keeping only what was needed.)
It's now getting more difficult to update and load new programs without being online,
Back and forth from the office P.C. with a memory stick.
Should I just give in, get a modem and go online with the Mac?

I use the Mac on which I'm typing this for Logic Studio, and it's always online.

I'm not sure how why the idea that a DAW needed to remain offline got started. Maybe it's because Windows machines were always getting viruses, and you really don't want to run anti-virus software on a machine used as a DAW. The easiest way to keep viruses away was to not have the machine connected to the internet. Of course you can just as easily introduce a virus with a USB thumb drive or that hard disk your client brought in for the session.

One thing I do is disable Time Machine's automatic backups when I'm using Logic, and I generally have no other applications running. Seems to be perfectly fine mixing 24 tracks with lots of plug-ins.

-a

 

[Indecline]

If you turn off all automatic updates, you should be fine (and if you play "safely" on the internet). There are some firewall precautions and other things you can do as well.

I had an XP machine and an OSX imac on the internet for years without any hassles. I've never installed any anti-virus stuff either. Problems begin when you start sharing the computer with others, then someone installs an odd software program, opens spam emails, click pr0n banners, etc. Really, if you get a virus, 95% of the time it is from not being vigilant while you're browsing/downloading the internet.

 

[desol]

If the stability and performance of the machine depend on updates, it's probably necessary to allow some connectivity for this reason.

The problem with a machine being unreliable, usually has more do with it being a community computer (many users) rather than it being used online, imo.

- Tech for 6 years.

 

[ruairioflaherty]

My studio macs have always been fully online since day one (probably 8 different machines over the years) with no issues.