Sometimes you really do get what you pay for
Everyone likes getting something for nothing. To not want to get something for nothing, in this case no money, sounds great doesn’t it. Why on Earth should I pay for something that I can get for free?Well, sometimes you really do get what you pay for. There’s a reason that people pay anywhere from $50-200 for an anti-virus software package for there PC where there are plenty of free packages out there. Most of the time the ones you pay for just do a better job.
Depending on the article you read only 87% of people have an anti-virus software package installed. Of those 87% ruffly 52% of them actually have the software package up to date. That number alone is just staggering. Now if those people were to install even a free anti-virus package that would give them some level of protection. But with the free anti-virus packages out there you don’t know what you are actually getting. Do they offer you a way to keep getting updates? Are they going to go out of business? How quickly are they going to be able to issue an update after the next big threat comes out?
Getting a virus on your computer can be anywhere from an irritation to a major problem. There are viruses which just sit there and do DDOS attacks against websites, or send out SPAM on behalf of someone else. There are others which steal your banking information when you log onto your online banking websites. There are others which delete files off of your computer. Without a good anti-virus software installed you’ll have no way to know you have a virus, or how bad the infection is. And when you get one, you usually don’t have just one for long. A lot of viruses will open up a lot of holes in your computers security so that other viruses can more easily get into your computer. Some will even activly go and download more viruses into your computer.
The guys that charge for Anti-Virus software every year have a lot more resources to throw at the problem, and they are almost always able to get a new update released much faster than the free anti-virus guys can. And when it comes to anti-virus software faster is better. The faster you get the new updates the faster you are protected from the next big bad that’s running around the Internet wreaking havoc on company and personal computers the world over.
Are the paid for anti-virus products perfect? No of course not, but they are better. And in the ultra fast moving world of virus attacks, better is well, better.
If you don’t have an anti-virus package installed for crying out loud go get one. If you have one of the free ones I highly suggest you pick up one of the paid for ones. They usually have decent coupons at Frys, Bestbuy, etc where you can get them for a decent deal.
Denny
As much as I want the govt to keep its hands of the Internet, this is one area where I feel there should be legislation/building codes/whatever.
Your computer is an attractive nuisance, just like a swimming pool. That’s why we have laws that say you have to build a fence around a pool.
We should require that computers have certain protections in place to keep your computer from attacking mine.
Okay, so I know legislation won’t really work. I just want to establish negligence when someone needs to recoup cost of damages. Perhaps our insurance companies should require this to protect their liabilities for Internet users’ damages.
I’m still waiting for a court to convict some of the millions of people happily running spambots and other evil things at home, completely oblivious to the fact that they are helping organized crime right in their own living rooms.