Microsoft to offer free consumer security suite

[DainBramaged]

Microsoft on Tuesday said it is changing its strategy for offering PC antivirus software, with plans to discontinue its subscription-based consumer security suite and instead offer individuals free software to protect their PCs.

Code-named Morro, the new offering will be available in the second half of 2009 and will protect against viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans, the company said in a statement.

With the arrival of Morro, Microsoft plans to stop selling the Windows Live OneCare service, although the two services are not identical. Morro lacks OneCare's non-security features, such as printer sharing and automated PC tuneup. Morro will, however, use fewer resources than the subscription-based offering, making it better suited to low-bandwith systems and less powerful PCs.

Microsoft decided to switch to a free product because there are still so many PCs out there that lack any antivirus software.

"Because they're not concerned about malware, the number of people who don't have antivirus software or don't keep it up to date exceeds 50 percent in developed markets, and it's worse in emerging markets," Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft, said in an interview. "Live OneCare was tailored for developed markets with broadband...and it's not meeting the needs of a lot of customers."

Asked why the company wouldn't just offer both the free and subscription versions, Barzdukas said: "Having core anti-malware at no charge for consumers, we believe, we will protect more consumers that way." Consumers who want more than the features Morro will offer have "fine alternatives from third parties" to buy, she added.

Despite the fact that McAfee stands to lose paying customers to Microsoft's new free software, McAfee spokesman Joris Evers said the news signaled a defeat for Microsoft.

"Consumers have voted; OneCare, in its two years on the market, has achieved less than 2 percent market share," he said in an interview. "Microsoft is giving up and has defaulted to a dressed-down freeware model that does not meet consumer security needs. This is good news for McAfee."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10101582-83.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody


This is a joke. With all the wonderful free products out there if people would just look, I suspect something else is up Microsoft's sleeve. I find people turn OFF automatic updates, so what makes them think people will download and use their software? Defender is an utter failure too. Want free excellent quality anti-everything software, right here.

http://www.download.com


Most popular downloads

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 1,649,472 downloads
2. LimeWire 541,134 downloads
3. Ad-Aware 2008 540,857 downloads
4. Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 535,592 downloads
5. Avast Home Edition Anti-Virus 388,138 downloads
6. FrostWire 361,493 downloads
7. Orbit Downloader 295,561 downloads
8. WinRAR 267,248 downloads
9. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 223,751 downloads

[BlooInBloo]

1. Goody. Another site I'll never visit.

[Taverner]

2. They are trying to kill Symantec

[DainBramaged]

5. Symantec is doing a good job of killing itself

AV 2009 is a marked improvement over the ponderous piece of shit 2008 is. But they have other removal related issues now that cripple Windows if you use their removal tool if uninstallation fails. Corporate America is pretty pissed off at them, 2008 took and hour to install, an hour to update, and took over 100MB ram to maintain. 2009 takes two minutes to install, a minute to update, and 28 MB to maintain. It's a matter of time to see if it's effective.

[Neshanic]

6. You are correct sir. I have it and it is the bane of my computer life with Vista.

[Taverner]

8. Get Symantec AV not Norton AV

trust me on that one :)

[DainBramaged]

10. Actually, get AVG it is as good, and it is simpler, and FREE

[DainBramaged]

9. Norton 2009 is dramatically better, I just test installed it on 5 systems and my own notebook

the problem was getting rid of the old crap. If the uninstall failed, I deleted the folder, and used CCleaner to fix the registry and then installed 2009. My first attempt wit the Symantec tool crippled a critical desktop, and I had to repair install Win XP again, a three hour tour.

[IDemo]

3. I use Avast on the XP partition, seems to work great

That's when I'm not running Mandriva or SUSE Linux on the other drive.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Turning your PC security over to Microsoft is like hiring a known pedophile as a baby sitter

And I won't use Comcast's "free" download of the McAfee bloatware either. Main reason is that it only works with Micro$hit IE. Even when I use Windows, it's only with Firefox.

[DainBramaged]

7. MY FAVORITE software right now is Pareto Logic XoftSpy SE

costs a couple of bucks for a three year subscription, it is just amazing and it gets what EVERYONE else misses. I carry the portable version on a thumb drive for work.