[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Avoid the 'Microsoft Tax' with Free Security, De-crapifying Software here

[oregonnerd]

Spybot S & D is essentially worthless at this point. It doesn't catch active threats well and does a great deal to distract the attention by what amount to false positives.
--Glenn

[SmilingCarcass]

While I agree with most of what you say, how is third party software a microsoft tax?

[SmilingCarcass]

Sorry, Glenn. I have to disagree. Spybot is not intended to be a real time scanner, though it does have (the rather intrusive) tea-timer.
And I rarely get false positives when I do my weekly scans and if I do I research the results if I am in any doubt.

[gevie]

Why not get rid of all the hassle. Switch to Linux and forget the initial cost of MS Windows plus all of the other added software to make it safe.

[kitsune17717]

I would be switching to Linux, but there are several things that stop me from doing this:
I want to be able to play games
I want a stable OS (not saying that MS is 100%, but it surely works better than Linux in many cases)
Linux is not free of bugs, too- although there are very few exploited bugs out there. For now.
Just one more thing, I know for a fact that Avast antivirus is not just a virus scanner. It also combats against malware.

[WinTard]

The title here is wrong. A Microsoft Tax would be paid to Microsoft. An Apple Tax would be paid to Apple. In your article, the third party software you mention is just a thriving ecosystem built around Microsoft Windows, and only benefits its users and ISV's. Not Microsoft. Thus I gave a thumbs down to your article, due to your bias.

As for free, there still are benefits for the creators. They usually provide a bare-bones free version of their solutions, but if you want the full package, then you pay. Example are Avast and Malwarebytes. Giving your product away, is the best introduction possible. It allows users to sample and test-drive your offerings. And if you've done your job right, you will be rewarded with a paying and loyal customer. Not only because you deserve it, but you won your customer's confidence fair and square. Also, it's much cheaper than traditional advertising. I think that's more than fair. It is a win-win or all.

The nice thing with a win-win strategy is there are no losers.

~~~~~~~~~~
If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.
~ Lao Tzu

[WinTard]

gevie said:

Why not get rid of all the hassle. Switch to Linux and forget the initial cost of MS Windows plus all of the other added software to make it safe.

Since Linux and all open-source software is free, there is no war of exclusivity here; except by shortsighted people that must belong to one side or another. Why? Why not benefit from all sides?
I am a Linux aficionado, but loathe juvenile partisans on all sides. As far as I am concerned, the more, the merrier.
To other readers, consider this:
On the low-end of things, one can get say a brand-name Dell Mini-9 for $250 complete preloaded with Ubuntu (by Dell) or preloaded with XP for $300.
So the cost of Microsoft XP is a mere $50.
XP has been roughly in circulation since sometimes in 2000 (in beta). Beta products are free. As evidenced by the Windows 7 current beta. But all support, all fixes, etc, are also free from Microsoft.
So is $50 over the past eight or nine years worth the silly debate raging on? Microsoft's policy of free software updates states they will continue for five years after a product is officially retired. That means 2009+5 = at least till 2014. In effect one gets free support for an operating system with a lifespan of 14 years? Financially, that means $50/14 = ~ $3.57 per year. Divide this by 365 and this figure comes to less than $0.01 per day of use.
Gimme a break! Is all this brouhaha about the superiority of this or that worth $0.01 per day?
( Shaking my head in disbelief )
People, grow up!
~~~~~~~~~
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.
~ Plato
If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
~ Anatole France (Jacques Anatole Thibault)
Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do.
~ Dale Carnegie
Message was edited by: coastie65 - Edited out remark that could considered as inflammatory.

[SmilingCarcass]

Slight error there. The cost of support is calculated into the cost of the operating system. You pay for it. Nothing is truly free. However, I agree with the rest of your post. Use the O/S that you prefer and leave others to choose thiers. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

[coastie65]

To further clarify your post, you don't purchase an OS. You purchase a license to use it. I would imagine that the cost of support is factored in there somewhere though. coastie65

[WinTard]

Hi kitsune17717,

Contrary to the popular (vulgar) myth, you don't have to switch to one or the other, but can run both simultaneously under virtualization, or in my case, simply use Windows as the base OS, and boot any livecd versions of Linux.

Please see:
google: Results 1 - 10 of about 25,300,000 for run linux under windows. (0.21 seconds)
google: Results 1 - 10 of about 4,080,000 for linux livecd. (0.27 seconds)
google: Results 1 - 10 of about 6,010,000 for cygwin. (0.19 seconds)
google: Results 1 - 10 of about 4,660,000 for knoppix. (0.06 seconds)
google: Results 1 - 10 of about 82,500,000 for ubuntu. (0.06 seconds)

I like:
Run Live Linux directly from under Windows.
http://www.knoppix.net/ <-- it boots a livecd, and auto-detects virtually 99% of all hardware! And it's free! And it's the latest Debian too!

~~~~~~~~~
Better have it and not need it, than need it and not have it...

[WinTard]

Hi coastie65, you are right, I'm just flying off the top of my head. I am really annoyed by all the nay-sayers, when this is totally unnecessary, and only perpetuates this climate of division, instead of reconciliation.

Nobody is at war, except those who pretend there even is a war...

But thanks for moderating things as it should be.

My bad, and my apologies.

~~~~~~~~~
Gems are polished by rubbing, just as men are made brilliant by trials.
{Chinese Proverb}

So long as a man is angry he cannot be in the right.
{Chinese Proverb}

[WinTard]

SmilingCarcass, cool name! :)

I agree with what you say, but would simply wish as you stated: Use the O/S that you prefer and leave others to choose theirs.

My post was triggered by the defamatory statements about Windows, and switch to Linux. That's not very much either neutral, or live-and-let-live philosophy?

So all these nay-sayers, are really, really annoying me. Do you see where I come from?

[coastie65]

Hey Win, No prob. It was something I felt that invited a less than cordial comeback, so thought it was best nipped in the bud. I doesn't matter whether it is OS's, Game Consoles, or whatever, it seems to invite this sort of thing. :p I guess people are passionate in what they like, to the point of closemindedness to everything else. Oh Well. :D coastie

[SmilingCarcass]

Hello, Wntard. Thanks for the name vote! I wanted something different and original, rather than the usual Paul675.………..
But back to the subject in hand. My previous post was meant purely as information, not a criticism. I use a dual boot XP32 bit/64 bit on my main machine, dual boot XP32 bit/Kubuntu on my back-up (testing rig) and Vista on my laptop. I love ‘em all! And when things don’t go to plan I hate and blame the one that screws up! All the average user wants is a system that works and I don’t think they’d care if it was OSX, Windows or Linux.
And lets get something right. All the accusations that are thrown a MS (and I am not a particular lover of the company, as opposed to their O/S) are really not down to them. They produce an O/S and it is installed on the majority of machines (thanks to some clever manoeuvring by Billy-boy). Then an assortment of rogues, thieves, malcontents and sundry other undesirables decide they will attack your digital information and steal it, block it or erase it for fun or profit. And the fault is Microsoft’s? Do we blame the builder when our houses are broken into? Do we blame Ford or Chrysler when our car is stolen? Of course not. So why blame Microsoft because their system is compromised? They are a business who need to make an affordable product and a profit so they can continue to support their systems and develop new more secure ones. Agreed they sometimes screw up. But unless you can honestly say you (as in all of you, not YOU Wintard!)are perfect, bite the bullet and move on.

[oregonnerd]

SC: re Spybot. I was actually reluctantly agreeing with a growing number of reviews over the years. I'm glad it does well for you.

--Glenn


8]

[SmilingCarcass]

It’s ok. You are entitled to your opinion. I was merely expressing mine. I know that reviews have said something similar to you but what they have actually been saying (at least the opinions I have read) is that Spybot should no longer be relied on as a main form of defence against threats. There definitely are better products, some of which are free but no software of this type should be relied on as an only means of defence. And Spybot does find some things (albeit not major threats, usually) that other software misses. And there is a registry scanning tool that searches locations and threats that other software misses. So by no means do I completely disagree with you.

[mmarrero]

I don't agree with the term Microsoft Tax... Any OS can get viruses and almost all have pre-installed junk. There is a Microsoft tax, when there's no discount after asking Linux or no OS. Anyway, you have to somewhat admit that Windows does include a periodic update that cleans a few things, and Windows Defender. I do remember when Microsoft included Central Point Anti virus in MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3...

I do agree that PCs are pre-installed with an insane amount of crapware and trialware. Windows has also a lot of useless stuff and idiotic settings. (except Windows Server).

[JcHc3in1]

Let's get something else corrected here. Not ALL computer builders put crapware/trialware/bloatware or whatever you want to to call it, on the systems they build. This is up to the MANUFACTURER and has NOTHING to do with Microsoft. What about the Apple tax then with all the stuff they add to their machines that were asked for?
My wife and I bought two brand new systems from Vigor Gaming about two years ago. Pressed the start button and 15 seconds later the Desktop appeared with exactly 3 icons: My Computer, Recycle Bin and Cyberlink PowerDVD (which we asked for). No crapware or trialware of ANY kind.
Let's just be frank here: PC buyers have a choice. Some manufacturers are more prone to add said crap to their computers, others are not. It is up to the consumer to make that choice. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Microsoft.