[daabomb2002]

Windows Vista should have included an antivirus program. now it's not anticompetitive cuz vista already includes a 2 way firewall and antispyware.

[Advertisements]

Not true, because both the Antispyware and the firewall are horrible. I use AVG Anti-Malware and a hardware firewall instead. Much better and more secure.

Fenor

[Fenor]

Not true, because both the Antispyware and the firewall are horrible. I use AVG Anti-Malware and a hardware firewall instead. Much better and more secure.

Fenor

[dsenette]

how many OS's have you seen that come packaged with an antivirus OR antispyware program? whether windows defender is ineffective or not Vista is still the first OS to ship with antispyware software...i would suspect that it didn't ship with an AV package because microsoft doesn't have an AV program yet...if they ever get into the AV market...you can rest assured that the following versions of windows will ship with it (even if only a trial)

[mpfeif101]

Microsoft does have an AV called Windows Live OneCare, but it consistently performs last in all tests, so be thankful Microsoft doesn't include it in their operating system. Free alternatives like AVG are much better.

how many OS's have you seen that come packaged with an antivirus OR antispyware program?

Well Windows is the only OS that actually needs an antivirus or antispyware program

[dsenette]

Well Windows is the only OS that actually needs an antivirus or antispyware program

for now....don't get too comfy with your mac or linux box...once it becomes proffitable to do so...virus and malware writers will come out of the woodwork....neither linux or MAC are inherantly immune to viruses or malware....there's just no market for writing it yet....i would postulate that Linux is actually MORE susseptable to viruses or malware attacks because of the uber configurability that draw people to it...

[mpfeif101]

i would postulate that Linux is actually MORE susseptable to viruses or malware attacks because of the uber configurability that draw people to it...

Don't want to draw the thread off topic, but wouldn't the fact that each Linux box is so different and customized from the next make it HARDER to write viruses for it? You also don't run as root in Linux, which makes it a lot harder for viruses to edit config files. I'm not claiming that there won't one day be viruses for Linux (because there probably will) or that you won't need antiviruses (if there's viruses around you need an antivirus), but just that Linux is more secure than Windows

[dsenette]

You also don't run as root in Linux

YOU don't run as root...hehehe but i can assure you with all the N00Bs (applogies to anyone who falls into this catagorie) who are all about ubuntu and all the whiz bang new linux distros are running as root because it's "easier"....also...not THAT hard to su a process when the root password is "fred" hehehe just saying....once someone decides to write the "linux killer"....it's going to be huge

but wouldn't the fact that each Linux box is so different and customized from the next make it HARDER to write viruses for it

on there....there's a bunch of stuff that get's customized etc...but the base kernel is roughly the same