Tuesday, September 14, 2010

free antivirus software safe?

All of us want something for practically nothing. A good deal which costs nothing, most of the time captures our eyes in a manner "hey, I have nothing to dump here, right?"' The internet has ample cost-free  antivirus softwares, from business devices down to package deals intended for those taking up astronomy. For anyone on a limited budget, free software gives them access to programs that would normally be well beyond their financial reach. They are also usually developed by like-minded people with the same interests in a particular field, but with a little extra programming experience.

But what of the hidden costs? Free software is certainly excellent most especially when it functions correctly. The "benchmark" standard which is not available in cost-free software can be an issue. Any person will be able to create a software free for all of us yet not testing it out for discrepancies, match-ups and as well if the program functions the way it is supposed to. With this free antivirus download, you can be lucky enough to make your life easier by being able to do jobs effectively and a lot simpler. At the same time when you're unfortunate, you may possible enter into a software which can ruin your hard disk, as well as screw up your operating system causing you to spend money overtime. In spite of that response, anyone may possibly waste a lot with the free software.

One other issue regarding that cost-free software would be that in most instances, you could not get the complete version of the application. Most freeware is a 'cut-down' version of the full package and can also have a limited lifespan (usually 30 days) before the user license runs out. To be able to get the complete package, you must spend some money to get the uptodate ones. This is certainly accurate when it comes to anti-virus packages particularly AGV or ZoneAlarm. It also pays to read the terms and conditions very carefully before you click on 'I agree' on your registration. Exactly what are you agreeing for? How will they make use of your data? When you are uncertain, never say yes to anything then be sure to browse around in order to check if there's a thing less constrictive in its terms and conditions which too can be more ideal for your needs. Or perhaps save some cash then purchase the complete version.

Customer service - an optional extra

One of the biggest bugbears of free software is the lack of customer service. When it comes to popular operating systems particularly Microsoft, a group of technicians are available to repair those issues we may come across every once in a while. Nonetheless with free software, the creator can sometimes be a corporation or even just anyone who suddenly thought of this kind of idea. When that nice idea won't run the way you want it to, hence your only choice would be to send the person an email and wait for his reply. If it's been some time since he developed the software, there's a good chance he's moved on to other things and you're left hanging with a piece of freeware that is practically useless, no customer support and little chance of ever getting any kind of answer.

There will also be a threat of having bugs, trojans as well as malware. Even when most developers do not intend to infect their software with a virus, there are however lots of free anti-virus download which are open to anyone thus people may adapt and consequently alter the code at their choice. That too includes the less scrupulous people who may possible send out infected softwares. The results, as what all of us knows, may be too damaging.

With the development of Net 2.0, this free software will certainly have a significant role for it.. While the net is becoming further open source, the near future of free software is certain. Despite the failures of 'something for nothing', freebies are what we people still love. Fortunately, your cherished hard drive can be risk-free from damages or harms due to up-to-date security protocols. Yet the issue regarding customer service support will still be a thing that's too difficult to fix. There are particular websites that specifically try to redress this problem by having a control system in place to ensure that all freeware provided on their site is sourced back to the developer, and that he or she understands their obligation to people using their freeware. However this actually is self-regulatory as well as open to 'interpretation'. Unfortunately, there is always a cost for anything that claims to be 'free'.

1 comment:

  1. This is a good post and I can agree with certain parts. It would be nice for a lot of the net to be open source, but that can only be effective if all of its users understood computers on the same level. Unfortunately there are people using computers whose child understands it better than them. It is because they don't know enough to effectively administrate their own computer that some forms of Antivirus Software may not be the best option. Maybe in the future but for now, I will stick to a software produced by a company I can trust.

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