For individual Windows computer uses, I don’t believe there’s any benefit in paying for anti-virus protection when something as good as this product is offered for free.  I have been very pleased with the free version from Avast, also known as “AVG”.  You get firewall protection, virus protection, email scanning, malware scanning and phishing protection and it’s been reliable, non-intrusive, and proactive in preventing bad things from happening to my home computer and home network.  I would trust it enough to install on each individual machine on an office network, too.

Virus protection for Macs and Androids?  I was curious, because it is a fallacy that Apple computers can’t get viruses!  I just learned Avast offers this free version for Mac and Android users as well.  Prevention of getting infected with worms, viruses and malware is much easier than trying to remove it all later and undo the damage they caused.  Some of these keystroke recorders and other malware could really compromise a lot more than just some personal data, to say nothing of the time you waste because your computer slows down.  Which brings me to my next point — how some of these anti-virus software companies use scare tactics to get people to pay for their products.  Avast alerts consumers without going over the top, unlike….

Norton or McAfee aren’t your only choices

I would suggest you try Avast for your computer before paying for Norton (Symantec) or McAfee.  I believe both of these bigger players prey on many people’s fears and use very limited free trials to rope you into buying their programs for a year.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been on other companies’ networks that use these and they offer excellent protection, I just don’t care for their sales tactics and the messaging they use to scare computer users.  They’re disruptive and deceitful so that’s how they’re perceived… at least by me.

An Open Message to Hackers and Virus Authors

There’s no doubt there are some very smart and clever people out there, maybe you’re one of them.  One of the spammers scanning this blog, or some other seedy outfit looking to hack websites.  Go ahead, take the time to send me a phishing email, I’ve never seen that before.  It’s too bad such people spend so much time and energy wasting their talents writing destructive software and contributing to wasting other people’s time and energy too.  By ruining your neighbor, you will inevitably ruin yourself.

Get a life!  All your great ideas and intelligence you possess and all you come up with are ways to trick people into divulging some private information or to create some software that will slow their computer down or delete their precious files and pictures of their memories?  Wow, you must have a real grudge against the world to degrade yourself to a simple digital pest, vermin of cyberspace.  You are no better than a roach or a rat.

What you have created as problems for others you may never know, but in the end, what goes around comes around.  No one is infallible and untouchable.  Life has a way of settling scores.  Instead of focusing on being destructive, why not create something to help others while being constructive?  Contribute to humanity positively, elevate your neighbors, and you will benefit, earn more, and be respected.  Oh, I forget, you probably don’t care about respect, since you don’t respect others.  Your parents and their parents would be so proud of you.