Microsoft Anti Spyware (Beta)

[John Fitzsimons]

I agree.

I hate to overanalyze, but MS knows we know that. MS is the party that
needs to be paranoid. Not that I trust MS or believe they are looking out
for my best interest. It's just that MS is on the defensive since the
lawsuits a couple of years back.

IMO the lack of any substantive effects from the lawsuites simply
means that MS is even more confident of getting it's own way than
before.

The main reason MS needs to watch out for possible legal action (if it
does) is that it could affect sales. Not that such action could be
effective.

 

[John Fitzsimons]

Bob Adkins wrote:

I was not commenting at all on the program, which I am quite prepared to
concede might be the best ever.

I was commenting on the fact that money can buy the law. Money can buy
politicians and judges and can wholly intimidate the 'ordinary punter'
with it's power.

< snip >

I would say that the difficulty people have had taking effective legal
action against MS's monopolistic practices rather clearly supports
your contention.

MS can do pretty well anything they like with little chance whatever
of anyone being able to do anything effective about it.

 

[Richard Steven Hack]

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_Windows_AntiSpyware/1105022593/1

This is the recently acquired program from Giant. Not sure if it's going to
be Freeware, but I would think so. Haven't tried it yet!

Just read a review - the current beta has a lot of capability. It
requires installing a ton of agents to watch everything on your system
to prevent spyware from being installed at all - which is very nice,
as long as it doesn't eat up RAM or CPU. It also seems to be able to
detect about as much spyware as Ad-Aware or SpyBot - but not
necessarily any more than them, which means keeping them around would
still be a good idea.

However, the current beta is extremely buggy and crashes a lot. Also
it has an expiration date - people aren't sure whether that is because
Microsoft intends to charge for updates or whether it's just because
it is a beta.

Cringely in his New Year predictions suggests that Microsoft will
never be able to keep up with the necessary spyware definitions
updates and the whole thing will be a disaster.

I do think MS intentions are to use this to try to stem the tide of
defections from Windows due to IE security problems since it now looks
like FireFox is going to clean IE's clock over the next year based on
over ten million downloads in just a couple months since version 1.0
was released. Whether this will be a bandaid approach - mostly PR - or
a real attempt at providing a decent spyware remover is another
matter.

OTOH, I wouldn't be surprised to see them try to charge for the
updates either - maybe after a year or so, like some of the other
outfits have.

 

[Richard Steven Hack]

It's a nice, tight little piece of code, there Bob and I'm thankful
you gave us notice about it!

No, it is not - it's buggy and crashes, according to one reviewer.

It spotted two bugs on my machine that neither Lavasoft's Ad-Aware nor
Spyboy S&D had found...

And the same reviewer says that it missed stuff on his system that
Ad-Aware and SpyBot caught...

Same old, same old...

NOBODY catches all spyware - period.

 

[Richard Steven Hack]

MS can do pretty well anything they like with little chance whatever
of anyone being able to do anything effective about it.

Take a look at Cringely's latest NPR column. He predicts the Burst
lawsuit against Microsoft will win (because allegedly it is nearly an
open-and-shut case that Microsoft did in fact steal proprietary
software and try to drive the company out of business) and cost
Microsoft a billion dollars (chickenfeed for them, I know, but he also
predicts this will result in Apple and others sticking it to Microsoft
vis-a-vis the market involved which will cost them more.)

He's just not sure when the case will come to trial (he predicted this
last year and it didn't happen this year.)

He predicted last year that MS would buy off its legal enemies this
year and he was right about that one.

 

[Mike]

Mike wrote:

I had a ghastly 'little britain' moment then...
heh

But anyway... I couldn't get the X-Newsreader to the bottom like that
newbie.


Yep, but without whatever a 'plugy bit' is

Hacked, or updated away from the original author.

Hee hee

It runs, it runs.. On XP Pro. I read a nice little quote
somewhere recently.. "Nostalgia ain't what it used to be".

 

[Phringus]

Okay, from the top...

No, it is not - it's buggy and crashes, according to one reviewer.

"According to one reviewer"... Well, you just had another reviewer
(me) say the opposite so now you're even. Whatcha gonna do?!

And the same reviewer says that it missed stuff on his system that
Ad-Aware and SpyBot caught...

And has not the general consensus been that BOTH Ad-Aware AND Spybot
S&D ought to be used? Did you read anywhere in my post that I was
advocating the elimination of either of the two products? My post was
against the hysterical anti-Microsoft ninnies who attacked the product
without regard for its own intrinsic merits.

I believe all three products have their place on the PC-user's
desktop.

My question to you is: Are you only able to win arguments against
straw men?

Same old, same old...

NOBODY catches all spyware - period.

And you read the contrary assertion WHERE?

Find yourself a quiet place. Keep it that way.

....P.

 

[ozzy]

Just read a review - the current beta has a lot of capability. It
requires installing a ton of agents to watch everything on your system
to prevent spyware from being installed at all - which is very nice,
as long as it doesn't eat up RAM or CPU. It also seems to be able to
detect about as much spyware as Ad-Aware or SpyBot - but not
necessarily any more than them, which means keeping them around would
still be a good idea.

However, the current beta is extremely buggy and crashes a lot. Also
it has an expiration date - people aren't sure whether that is because
Microsoft intends to charge for updates or whether it's just because
it is a beta.

Cringely in his New Year predictions suggests that Microsoft will
never be able to keep up with the necessary spyware definitions
updates and the whole thing will be a disaster.

I do think MS intentions are to use this to try to stem the tide of
defections from Windows due to IE security problems since it now looks
like FireFox is going to clean IE's clock over the next year based on
over ten million downloads in just a couple months since version 1.0
was released. Whether this will be a bandaid approach - mostly PR - or
a real attempt at providing a decent spyware remover is another
matter.

Want to take any bets that Firefox will be the next acquisition that Microsoft
focuses their attention on )

ozzy

 

[jo]

Hacked, or updated away from the original author.

Ah. OK, it is akula's build so is a bit plugy

It runs, it runs.. On XP Pro.

Of course it runs. It's quite a quaint little thing innit?

 

[Bob Adkins]

No, it is not - it's buggy and crashes, according to one reviewer.


And the same reviewer says that it missed stuff on his system that
Ad-Aware and SpyBot caught...

Same old, same old...

Sounds like an MS hater to me.

Check this out! (scroll to the bottom and read the SUMMARY.

http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-results-5.htm

Looks like Giant and now MS are way ahead of their completion.

NOBODY catches all spyware - period.

Now that's true! Everything moves too fast to keep up with. Even those with
unlimited resources like Symantec and now MS. However, they can stay pretty
close.

-- Bob

 

[Slarty]

Want to take any bets that Firefox will be the next acquisition that Microsoft
focuses their attention on )

Acquire from whom?

 

[Phringus]

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_Windows_AntiSpyware/1105022593/1

This is the recently acquired program from Giant. Not sure if it's going to
be Freeware, but I would think so. Haven't tried it yet!

-- Bob

It's a fine program and I, again, thank you for the notice.

As you've mentioned (elsewhere in this thread) no program catches
everything and we are, therefore, wise to keep Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and
Spybot S&D both running on our machines. I noted earlier, Microsoft's
product caught two bugs on my computer that the others missed. Just
now, after updating Spybot, it caught one bug that the MS program
missed.

Between all three products, we'll have better coverage than with any
two of them separately...

....P.

 

[ozzy]

Acquire from whom?

I think you missed the humour

ozzy

 

[Aaron]

It's a fine program and I, again, thank you for the notice.

As you've mentioned (elsewhere in this thread) no program catches
everything and we are, therefore, wise to keep Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and
Spybot S&D both running on our machines. I noted earlier, Microsoft's
product caught two bugs on my computer that the others missed. Just
now, after updating Spybot, it caught one bug that the MS program
missed.

It found 3 pieces of malware. 1 is a known FP , the other two are
borderline case, which I disabled already anyway.

Between all three products, we'll have better coverage than with any
two of them separately...

Of course, since Giant is (was?) a fine piece of software and was
probably a rising star in the antispyware world. It remains to see how MS
will handle it.

Still I have a feeling all this arguing about MS antispyware is all going
to be moot, since all indications are that it is going to go payware. I
would love to be proven wrong though.

In any case, it is currently time limited software with its status after
that unclarified, and if I were a purist, I would say discussion of this
software would be off-topic here anyway.

 

[JoeA]

Of course, since Giant is (was?) a fine piece of software and was
probably a rising star in the antispyware world. It remains to see how MS
will handle it.
When Giant owned it it would run on Win98, now it needs 2K or XP....hmmmm.

If I had time I would try to install it on my 98SE anyway. Maybe
violate the EULA. Turning to the dark side. Ahhhhhh!

 

[Slarty]

I think you missed the humour

ozzy

You cannot be serious!

Cheers,

Roy

 

[Slarty]

If I had time I would try to install it on my 98SE anyway. Maybe
violate the EULA. Turning to the dark side. Ahhhhhh!

It refuses to install itself on such a system. I tried it, in the spirit of
experimentation.

Cheers,

Roy

 

[Bob Adkins]

Of course, since Giant is (was?) a fine piece of software and was
probably a rising star in the antispyware world. It remains to see how MS
will handle it.

And THAT is the 64000 dollar question! Will MS retain the Giant crew and
philosophy and maintain the growing excellence of Giant (now MS
anti-spyware), or will MS "Microsoft-ize" it, with bells, whistles, bloat,
on-line subscriptions, and product activation garbage?

Many will be watching this one with interest!

Still I have a feeling all this arguing about MS antispyware is all going
to be moot, since all indications are that it is going to go payware. I
would love to be proven wrong though.

Payware or not, it can either be a great and useful tool for the masses,
or yet more bloated MS shovelware.

In any case, it is currently time limited software with its status after
that unclarified, and if I were a purist, I would say discussion of this
software would be off-topic here anyway.

Well, I'm happy as a clam until the July expiry. I think we'll get yet
another generous 3 or 4 month extension on it when the next beta is
released in a month or so. I hope!

Just for grins, go here and scroll down near the bottom for a shocking
SUMMARY.

http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-results-5.htm

Giant beats Spybot and Ad-Aware like a rented mule!!

I forgot to mention: My favorite feature of MSAS is that it recognizes
Firefox as malware, and deletes it. <GDRFC>

-- Bob

 

[Bob Adkins]

It refuses to install itself on such a system. I tried it, in the spirit of
experimentation.

Try copying "autoexec.NT" in the \windows\system32\ folder.

-- Bob

 

[FossilButt]

That's the funniest damn thing I've heard in a week!