Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 20 November 2008 15:09
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Microsoft will launch a leaner version of an Internet security package
to protect users from malware, viruses, rootkits, spyware and trojans,
but for some weird reason is waiting until the second half of 2009.
Wake up Microsoft – just make OneCare free, today!
Microsoft says that “to address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, smaller PC form factors and rapid increases in malware”, it’s going to release a
free Internet security package for XP, Vista and Windows 7 currently codenamed “Morro”.
But when you realise that Microsoft is going to make emerging markets and those with smaller PC form factors (while also running on regular XP, Vista and Windows 7 machines), you have to ask who at Microsoft was smoking what when the decision was made for this to be rolled out in the second half of 2009!
The second half of 2009 is up to a year away, given that we’re in the second half of 2008 right now, so how seriously is Microsoft taking the whole “rapid increases in malware” situation if there’s a year long wait for the free software?
Of course, Microsoft has Windows Defender today to remove malware infections, and there are free anti-virus, anti-malware packages such as AVG and Avast available to home users.
But given that Microsoft knows that “60% of customers either don’t or won’t pay for anti-malware protection”, according to Amy Barzdukas, the Online Services and Windows division senior director of product management (and quite possibly needlessly long titles) at Microsoft (according to
Microsoft-Watch.com) – making consumers wait for up to a year seems completely ludicrous.
Microsoft-Watch thought the same thing and asked Barzdukas, but the best she could offer was that Morro didn’t have a firewall and needed to be rewritten for performance on netbook platforms, as an example.
In its press release, Microsoft touts “OneCare” (which still sounds ridiculously stupid when spoken in a French accent) as being “one of the first all-in-one suites to be launched in the consumer market”.
By “all-in-one”, Microsoft is not only including the fact it has a firewall, anti-virus and anti-malware, but that it also has “a number of non-security features, such as printer sharing and automated PC tune-up”.
But this is more gobbledegook! Please read on to page 2.
