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Vista May Put Anti-Spyware Companies Out

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the getting-ahead-of-ourselves dept.

Ant wrote to mention a C|Net article with an interesting premise: Windows Vista's tough approach to spyware may put anti-spyware companies out of business. From the article: "While this may be good news for buyers of Vista, it is not for anyone who makes a living from selling anti-spyware software. The worldwide market has boomed recently, reaching $97 million in revenue in 2004, up 240.4 percent from a year earlier, according to IDC. However, companies such as Webroot Software and Sunbelt Software are in for tough times, analysts said."

10 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Analysis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't know about *better*, given it is a subjective measure, but the NT line has generally improved in security with new releases. Win2000 was relatively indistinguishable from WinNT security-wise, but WinXP at least considered security in its design, and improved on it a little with SP1 and markedly with SP2.

    I'm not saying it's all sunshine and rainbows; it's still not a fully locked down OS but they have been improving.

  2. Re:...well... by babbling · · Score: 1, Informative

    Rather ungrateful like that, aren't they? I mean, it seems virus-scanner companies and MS have had a long relationship where they needed each other to survive. If virus scanners weren't around, Windows would probably have become unacceptable for a lot of businesses. Similarly, if Windows wasn't crap, virus scanner companies wouldn't have a market to target.

    Now Microsoft is moving into their market, and will be selling both a problem and the solution to that problem. Nice.

  3. Gartner is SO reliable by symbolset · · Score: 2, Informative
    Here's what Fortune magazine thinks:

    Ditch the Experts: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_arc hive/2006/02/06/8367977/index.htm

    Which is not to say that experts are no different from you and me. They're very different. For example, they're much more confident in their predictions than nonexperts are, though they obviously have no reason to be.

    Pretty clear, eh?

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    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  4. Well, duh! by Dracos · · Score: 2, Informative

    Microsoft created the need for these companies to exist. The near destruction of that need is a side effect of MS finally learning that security is part of the development process.

    But as long as there is Windows, there will be a need for 3rd party Windows security software.

  5. Re:How dare they! by jacksonj04 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, OneCare is pretty good. And from what I've seen in the Vista CTPs the security model is actually a damn sight better than before. Stability is phenominal as well, it took a whole 12 seconds to make it fall over (Video driver issue if you must know, Safe Mode is solid as a rock).

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    How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
  6. Re:...well... by rtb61 · · Score: 2, Informative
    What promises, each version of windows, was more stable and more reliable and more secure than the last one (of course it always has been the just than teensiest bit more, except of course for millenium edition but that had an alternate design goal).

    The only time microsoft software has shown any signs of security it when you run others companies software on top of it, to try and make it more secure.

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    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  7. Re:How dare they! by Tim+C · · Score: 2, Informative

    The XP firewall works fine for blocking incoming connections and server processes, all it really lacks is egress filtering.

    Besides, I thought that the argument was that if something is bundled with/in Windows, no-one will bother to seek out an alternative? That's got to be the case, right, I mean, IE is still the most commonly-used browser...

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    It's official. Most of you are morons.
  8. Familiar Strategy by Greyfox · · Score: 2, Informative
    Microsoft always announces that their next version of Windows will solve the hot problem of the day, and they always come up short and ship late. Back in the day Windows was going to have multitasking. Then Windows 95 was going to have preemptive multitasking and a spiffy user interface like OS/2. Then Windows 98 was really going to have preemptive multitasking and a spiffy interface like OS/2. Then Windows 2000 was really (And we mean it this time) going to have preemptive multitasking and a spiffy interface like OS/2. Then Windows XP was going to solve all the stability and security problems and have a spiffy interface like OS/2. Now Windows Vista will solve all the stability and security problems and have a spiffy interface like OS/2... I mean, OSX.

    So yeah, Vista will solve all the spyware and virus problems, we promise, please don't buy a Mac in the mean time!

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    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  9. Re:They'll find a way. by lubricated · · Score: 4, Informative

    maginot line

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    It has been statistically shown that helmets increase the risk of head injury.
  10. Re:...well... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Of course this setup I described will never be used in Vista...

    ...either that or you would never bother to check.

    One of those statements is true, I leave it to the reader to decide which. http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/security/