Slashdot Mirror

A quick Google search shows Symantec products are not much different: Norton - From Symantec - Problems, Problems, Problems..

Or, Multiple serious problems with symantec endpoint 11 - Please help.

Or, Norton Internet Security 2009 has caused me problems. (Norton.com is owned by Symantec, of course.)

You know there are problems when Symantec provides a Removal Tool.

That was NAV2007. It didn't support Vista out of the box, but eventually they released an update, and it seemed to work OK for me.

However, NAV2009 is MUCH better. I suspect that Vista forced them to do some major rewrites in 2007 (because 2006 was a steaming pile of crap), and they realized that by cleaning up their crap they could actually improve the end-user experience while making life easier for themselves in the long run. NAV2008 sucked less, and in 2009 they've completely redesigned how the program operates. It's as though they realize everyone hates them and they have competition now. Seriously, if you haven't tried it yet, you should download the NAV2009 trial to see what I'm talking about.

Note: I am not affiliated with Symantec, and I'm currently running AVG Free on my Win7 box.

The new version of Norton AV is much faster than older versions; they've really worked on cleaning up that problem. As for removing it, if the uninstall fails for some reason, the Symantec Norton Removal Tool (SymNRT) will definitely get rid of it.

I understand that you're looking for something free (I'm running AVG on my Windows 7 box at home), but for those who don't mind paying a subscription fee, you should definitely download the free 2-week trial. NAV2006 was a horrible steaming pile of crap, but this isn't that. I have no affiliation to Symantec and do NOT recommend any of their other software (360, Internet Security, SystemWorks), but NAV is what I recommend to my clients.

Just wondering...does Symantec has any antivirus software for Mac ?

Yes, but since installing anything by Symantec on a Mac guarantees you're going to lose data, you might as well save $50 and stick with the malware.

Or use ClamAV.

Ok, you've got many PCs most of which run Windows XP. They've been crashing every Exploit Wednesday since October. Every one has a license that was paid for three times (six times under Software Assurance). You have seventeen core apps. Some of them are paid for several times. Some have a licensing server so that some people can use them when other people aren't, and come with a utility so that priority users can kick off nonpriority users. A couple of them are free. Four of them are nagware that came with your PCs or that you thought were a good idea at the time. One is an in-house app that only runs in a DOS box and accesses dBase files stored on your server. Every month a couple get pwned for no detectable reason.

Even if they don't run Windows you've paid over and over. You have to because they've made it happen what "enforcement" will happen if you don't.

Every software vendor you buy from makes it clear the software you bought is being split into "basic" versions that include most of the features you use, and an "Enterprise" version that includes must have features you can't live without. Both new versions will be annual subscriptions instead of purchases. Naturally, the Premium version you require will cost many times what you already paid and the cost will be annual rather than once each. Of course they're entitled to this conversion of your purchase into a "revenue stream" because they've upgraded their product from an application to a "platform framework" that "optimizes" your "TCO".

You're thinking about investigating this multicore thing that people are talking about, but it seems impossible to reconcile the software licenses with multiple "cores" on one or more CPUs. You want to do server consolidation, but every server app has to be evaluated both by a professional enginner and by a hideously expensive team of lawyers who also want to audit every piece of software you've purchased since 1974. Your CPA wants to know why you licensed the same software 3-6 times for each PC, and why you're buying licenses for software that won't run on the PCs they're purchased for. And what's this entry for "SCO Linux licenses"? You live in dread of being audited by jack-booted thugs, not because you're pirating but because the danger of a paperwork snafu that destroys your budget is nearly certain and the slightest discrepancy is going to get you canned.

I have one question: What the hell are you thinking? Get off the train to crazy town. The free stuff isn't just good, it's better. So much better that you're not going to believe you put up with this crap. If it's truly free you don't have to account for each copy/user/use/year/processor/incidence. It's not free because it's less worthy: it's free because you're not the first person to be disgusted by the experience you're having. Pay for support. Nobody ever got sued for terminating their support contract. Figure it out. The world has changed. The future is open.

You've obviously never used Norton Internet Security 2007 or McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007.

Norton Ghost isn't free, it's about $70. That's the difference between an upgrade and a full version for some flavors of vista. Though I guess there are free alternatives to ghost. Either way, ghosting is not for the average user.

well actually, they have a line of mac products.

Ghost can help. It allows you to make an image of your windows machine on CD.

Symantec also said it expects more viruses and worms in the future to be written to attack systems that run on the Linux operating system and hand-held devices as they become more widely used.

Hmmm, Symantec sells virus protection for hand-helds and Linux. I sure hope that they believe there will be more virus/spam attacks against these systems.

This is incredible. Go here to check out this dumb shit.

Dell: P4 2.8GHz, 512 memory, 20G HD (5400 rpm), 24x CD, Win 2k, Ultrasharp 19inch Flat panel that is height adjustable, standard keyboard, wheel mouse, bottom line external speakers, DVI-VGA video adapter, mouse pad, no floppy, no consumer anti-virus software, no Microsoft Office offered.

Cost: $1,797 per unit

Required Software: 40 licenses each of Norton Anti-Virus ($3,219.65) and Ghost (1,207.63), Corp Editions.

Full cost: $76,307.28 for first initial order

How can you call it voluntary, when the user doesn't even know it has happened? The product specs don't even mention that you are blocked from sites that they fell you shouldn't be able to see.

Kinda like Tripwire , Symantec Anti-Virus, RedHat Enterprise Linux's dymanic relocatable address to fight worms, OpenBSD StackGhost and ZoneAlarm Firewall all rolled in one.

Once implemented, we should see a dramatic change in the network security world; less IDS/IPS/IDPS business model.

The last frontier would then be the social hacking engineering prevention.

Mark Mah Words

footnote: (*) easier done in the UK where static IPs are fairly easy to come by compared to some countries - though most proper ISPs are sensible and check you need them first, some, for example the main telco in the country, pretty much force a /29 on the less clueful of their business customers. (The web page is only one side of it, the salespeople seem to be quite good at pushing this option too). Of course: they can then sell personal firewall software and get you to install a second line if you have >5 users. And don't even get me started on their wonderful trick of restricting MAIL FROM: domains at their SMTP relays (and making sure their dynamic ADSL netblocks are listed in the DUL.....