NEWS: Microsoft Announces Antivirus Software, page 1

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 02:13 AM

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Microsoft has announced it plans to enter the anti-virus software market later this year with the release of "Windows OneCare". In addition to anti-virus functions, the software will also include anti-spyware, a two-way firewall, and automated data backup. The product will be in direct competition with PC anti-virus market leaders such as Norton and McAfee.

news.yahoo.com
The company has announced its plans to launch a subscription-based security service called Windows OneCare that will protect users against viruses and spyware as well as safeguard data stored on PCs.

Much like it has with other applications -- its CRM product for instance -- there will be a long lead time between the announcement and actual delivery to consumers, giving competitors time to position themselves.

Microsoft has said it will roll out a test version of OneCare later this summer and launch an even larger test campaign by the end of 2005. This week, some 60,000 employees will receive subscriptions.

Pricing for the OneCare service has not been announced. Most analysts expect that once the product is made generally available, Microsoft will quickly gain market share.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

This move has been speculated about for some time now, especially since Microsoft's recent acquisition of Giant (Anti-Spyware) Software company and malicious software scanning functions in recent XP updates. This will certainly put the firecrackers under Norton's feet, particularly after some not-so-kind reviews of their Norton Internet Security product.

Related News Links:
au.news.yahoo.com
www.webpronews.com
www.advancedippipeline.com
en.wikinews.org

[edit on 2005/5/17 by wecomeinpeace]

sardion2000

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 02:55 AM

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Why pay for something you can get for free...

www.clamwin.com...

wecomeinpeace

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 12:14 PM

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I think it would be a shame if Microsoft monopolized this section of the market as well. It's easy to forget that the majority of computer users are not computer savvy and they will use the MS version because it's all they know. Once a market is monopolized by one provider, it then slows development because competition is the biggest driving force behind innovation.

I was surprised by this article which stated an "estimated 75% of Windows users that do not already have antivirus installed".

Zipdot

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 12:26 PM

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McAfee gets all screwed up when you try to uninstall it and Norton is completely bloated, huge, and slow. The Microsoft product will be high quality - MS buys and borrows from the best

There are several free antivirus products that will protect your computer just as well as any retail product, but they don't have the added features such as firewalls and whatnot. Check out AVG. I pay for Kaspersky and use their firewall, too, having tried ZoneAlarm, Kerio, Norton, McAfee, and probably others I can't think of.

Anyway, with AVG anti-virus and ZoneAlarm Basic firewall and SpyBot S&D, you have paid zero dollars for everything you need, minus the backup software. You can probably get free backup software, too, but I haven't looked into that.

Zip

kenshiro2012

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 12:27 PM

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I would be afraid that MS version will be as bad as their origional back in the Dos 3.1 days.
Extremely AWFUL!
Be carful of the "free AV " many of them have backdoor programs built into them. Many of the ISP's today are now offering free av and firewalls that are kept up to date to their customers. They finally realized that it was not just a customer's issue as the traffic would / could affect the ISP's own network offerings.

Zipdot

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 12:31 PM

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I would assume that anyone trying out a new free anti-virus or any other software would read some CNet or whatever reviews first.

I don't know of any legitimate virus scanners that contain malware. I think you're thinking of those popups that say "CLICK HERE FOR FREE VIRUS SCAN." That's totally different than downloading respectable free software.

So, don't ever click something that says "CLICK HERE FOR FREE VIRUS SCAN" or "CLICK HERE TO SCAN YOUR COMPUTER FOR PORN TRACES."

Zip

wecomeinpeace

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 01:00 PM

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McAfee gets all screwed up when you try to uninstall it and Norton is completely bloated, huge, and slow. The Microsoft product will be high quality - MS buys and borrows from the best.

Microsoft are the undisputed masters of bloatware. Remember Windows ME? WMP10? And they're obviously trying to make this one an all-in-one, Swiss army knife package. Bad move.

And they're so behind the innovation 8-ball it's not funny. Just compare FF and Opera to IE. It's just a shame that IE had the monopoly on the market for so long that it stifled the competition. What's innovative about OneCare? Nothing. They're just mashing different functions into one fat blob that will be bound to be plagued with problems.

If it's completely borrowed and bought from other developers, then maybe it'll be ok, but if it's an MS development project, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole until it's been out of beta for 2 years.

Zipdot

posted on May, 17 2005 @ 01:05 PM

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Hahaha, yeah, you're right, I wasn't thinking about all of that.

Swiss army knife application suites always suck.

Zip