Microsoft Security Essentials Served via Windows Update as an Optional

[mikedl]

MSE gets rather high recommendations from many of the experts on these forums. I trust their judgment. Though I do not use it, I recommend it to friends looking for a free Anti-virus solution.

@Tepid: Bringing Apple into the discussion is a straw man argument as you are deflecting from the issue at hand regarding antitrust law. Apple's market share is very low. MS's market share is quite high and they are positioned to present a free solution and, later, at any time, change their mind once they've run all of the other competing businesses out of the market. Of course most of the base installed user population will opt for a free MS solution. Please, do a little research on "Standard Oil" in the US.

I'm as much of an MS fanboy here as anyone. I simply try to look a bit farther down the road time-line than just today.

 

[Tepid]

I don't see it that way. Any business that practices those kinds of tactics is guilty of such and should be prosecuted as such. By your definition, the underdog always gets the upper hand and is unaccountable till they reach a certain level of success, this is false propping of business or organization. That truly is not fair practice.

So, I find it quite relative.

Level the playing field and see what happens. Which is not what they are doing. They are trying to manipulate the playing field in favor of one group over another. This is not just a problem in business, but in society as a whole.

As far as MS creating a software that people like and that makes a playing field that others are unable to compete in (not because they are being shunned out by the market place in such a way as business doesn't carry their product due to certain agreements with another company, that is a problem), but creating a product that out competes all others, is not to me a monopoly.

If I make a product that is good, and the consumers flock to it and no one else can come even close? That's not a monopoly, that is a damn good product.

The only way to level that playing field is to cheat it. Forcibly dumb down the product or be forced to release certain information to allow competition is not fair either.

Build a better or equivalent product, and market it properly, is the only way to truly compete.

Now, we could look at it in the way you are and say that MS could throw it out for free and then later start charging for it, if they do that, people will find and create alternatives. That is the free market way. I think there would be a huge backlash against it and MS would lose in the end.

 

[nailgunner]

I read this and checked the ver I am using. I thought I was using a Beta, but I guess it go updated somewhere along the line and I wasn't aware of it. Mine is ver 2.0.375.0.

Same here, I thought I was using the Beta my ver is same as yours without mention of it being beta.

I too have the same version. I knew or assumed I had the beta. I clicked on the help tab, was taken to the beta MSE site. I downloaded what was on there and got the message that I had the current version. The regular MSE site is showing version 1 and an October 7th date. So I "think" anything with version 2 is beta.

 

[mikedl]

I don't see it that way. Any business that practices those kinds of tactics is guilty of such and should be prosecuted as such. By your definition, the underdog always gets the upper hand and is unaccountable till they reach a certain level of success, this is false propping of business or organization. That truly is not fair practice.

So, I find it quite relative.

Level the playing field and see what happens. Which is not what they are doing. They are trying to manipulate the playing field in favor of one group over another. This is not just a problem in business, but in society as a whole.

As far as MS creating a software that people like and that makes a playing field that others are unable to compete in (not because they are being shunned out by the market place in such a way as business doesn't carry their product due to certain agreements with another company, that is a problem), but creating a product that out competes all others, is not to me a monopoly.

If I make a product that is good, and the consumers flock to it and no one else can come even close? That's not a monopoly, that is a damn good product.

The only way to level that playing field is to cheat it. Forcibly dumb down the product or be forced to release certain information to allow competition is not fair either.

Build a better or equivalent product, and market it properly, is the only way to truly compete.

Now, we could look at it in the way you are and say that MS could throw it out for free and then later start charging for it, if they do that, people will find and create alternatives. That is the free market way. I think there would be a huge backlash against it and MS would lose in the end.

I'm not the one with political messages in my sig, Tepid.

Based on your sig, I can understand, entirely, why you believe the way you do. You believe it all the while ignoring history.


Hannitized , Rhymes with sanitized. A benevolent and enjoyable form of brainwashing resulting from watching Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel or listening on the radio.

Your sig:

Hannitized: To each according to their needs, From Each according to their ability. - Marxism 101
Wilkowism's: All Hail the Recipient

Who is John Galt?
The world will change when you are ready to pronounce this oath:
I swear by my Life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man,
nor ask another man to live for the sake of mine. - Ayn Rand

 

[ken9122]

So how would you all rate MSEssentials out of 10

never used i have looked at reviews, but would like to hear from people that have or are using it.

I rate MSE about 8 (7 if i had to pay for it, but free gets a extra point)
I had Vipre previously and give it a 6 1/2.

Threads about what is the best AV always gets a lot of opinions (some quite vocal ) so do your own research.

Ken

 

[nailgunner]

I use MSE and think it's great. But individual opinions are pretty much useless. Until I have a problem, I will continue to think it's great. If it lets something through and my computer crashes, I will think it's crap. I've looked at a number of reviews that test all the major products, and the only thing they agree on is that nothing will protect you 100%. Everyone I've seen has put MSE anywhere from the middle to near the top. So, I'm happy...until.

 

[yowanvista]

Another reason for AV vendors to file a lawsuit against MS

 

[nailgunner]

Well if Microsoft was smart, and some of us think they are, they could argue that a stable integrated AV system was so essential to the safe computing of their software purchasers that it shouldn't be left to third party vendors.

 

[OneSerious]

MSE is quality stuff. Nice clean interface, low system usage, reliable and FREE! Can't complain.

On the subject of MS and the possible suing there of. It seems crazy to me that a company who develops a system can get sued for including essential software because it stifles competition. Like others have said, Apple are the absolute worst for this but you never hear a dickie bird about them getting into trouble over it.

To me it would be like a car manufacturer not being able to include there own seats or seat belts because 3rd party companies lose out on sales from nice racing seats and belts (Probably a terrible example but I'm no business mogul).

 

[yowanvista]

low system usage

75MB of memory usage is higher than any other AV

 

[OneSerious]

low system usage

75MB of memory usage is higher than any other AV

Really? Cause the likes of McAfee used to hog the life out of my system. If I'm wrong, fair enough, but thought of MSE as lite.

 

[yowanvista]

McAfee is crap anyway

 

[OneSerious]

McAfee is crap anyway

Well... I know that. But what does that tell me about it's system usage?

 

[yowanvista]

McAfee is crap anyway

Well... I know that. But what does that tell me about it's system usage?

Its a system hog

 

[OneSerious]

Its a system hog

So MSE uses 75MB and therefor is heavier than any other AV. However, it's better than McAfee because McAfee is a crap system hog?

Okay, please explain to me. My non expert opinion was...

MSE is quality stuff. Nice clean interface, low system usage, reliable and FREE! Can't complain.

You're telling me that it is, in fact, heavier than any other AV. Now as far as I'm aware when I was using McAfee it used more system resources. Now if I'm wrong, that's fine. But even if MSE does use more, I still wouldn't consider it heavy and it certainly does run so much sweeter that other options.

 

[Layback Bear]

To understand why some don't like Mc Afee and I'm one. Read this.
Consumer complaints about McAfee AntiVirus
At one time McAfee was concerned one of the best. No longer.

 

[Bugsy]

I purchased webroot internet security essentials 2010 but when i put it on my system it just made it soooooooooooooooooooooo slow, so i took it off and put it on my other pc 'X32' and works fine, yet it is meant to be compatable with X64.

 

[OneSerious]

To understand why some don't like Mc Afee and I'm one. Read this.
Consumer complaints about McAfee AntiVirus
At one time McAfee was concerned one of the best. No longer.

I don't like McAfee either. It's just that yowanvista had said MSE used a lot of system memory which I've just looked at and maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem to. I said as far as I knew the likes of McAfee used more, the only response I got back from yowanvista was that McAfee was crap, which I would never contest no no. I just wanted to know a fuller explanation as to what McAfee being crap had to do with it's system usage compared to MSE.

 

[Bugsy]

Well for people saying this and that is crap, you cant really say that about any product on any particular machine as they all function different and all have different specs etc..

 

[yowanvista]

To understand why some don't like Mc Afee and I'm one. Read this.
Consumer complaints about McAfee AntiVirus
At one time McAfee was concerned one of the best. No longer.

I don't like McAfee either. It's just that yowanvista had said MSE used a lot of system memory which I've just looked at and maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem to. I said as far as I knew the likes of McAfee used more, the only response I got back from yowanvista was that McAfee was crap, which I would never contest no no. I just wanted to know a fuller explanation as to what McAfee being crap had to do with it's system usage compared to MSE.

The last version of McAfee I used consumed 120-150MB, but the newer versions use less