bruzzes
Premium
join:2001-04-26
Euclid, OH
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Free is better?
I have tried the new retail "professional versions" of Ad Aware, Zone Alarm and many other security, ad blocker and antivirus software the last few months. Each one, seemed to have some side affect on the operation of my OS. Either slow down, resources, complexity, or duplicate apps that other programs perform.
Each time, I have gone back to the free versions, and even some of the free upgrade versions seem less efficient than earlier editions.
My question to the esteemed members of this forum is whether a free package of above named software can be utilized and be capable of rendering the necessary functions to keep one safe from intrusion.
Also, I realize that the professional versions of the above software have additional features that can be utilized by specific users. Is the additional side-effects worth it?
Thanks for any replies...
--
"Where am I" I asked. "Your on the Island of Conclusions" he replied. "How did I get here?" said I. "Why you jumped here, of course" |
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mark5019
join:2002-03-30
Atlanta, GA | i use avg, free za free,adaware, spybot s&d, spywareblaster all free for yrs not 1 complaint plus ive been clean |
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dp
Go Steelers
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-08
Greensburg, PA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to bruzzes
There are many security related free applications that when used with safe computing habits and common sense that would keep you relatively secure.  For some the choice is all free, others no doubt use a combination of paid and free applications. It comes down to what you are most comfortable with.
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Write your questions down on the back of a $20 dollar bill and send them to me |
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BlitzenZeus
Burnt Out Cynic
Premium,MVM
join:2000-01-13
Beaverton, OR
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to bruzzes
Personally after years of buying programs which were bloated, and where I only used certain key features for the most part I use free for personal use software as it does want I need it to do without loading the kitchen sink into memory. As said before, when used with common sense many free programs can provide more than enough security to the user. My firewall, and av are both free for personal use. I also have a few programs like spybot, etc.. however other than doing a full system scan once in a while, they find nothing as I play it safe with things on my computer.
If I find a free for personal use program useful, I might just buy the pay version to give some credit to the company even through I might not use all the features in the pay version, and some smaller developers have ways to donate to them if you want.
--
My hourly rates:
$25 per hour.
$35 per hour if you want to watch.
$45 per hour if you want to help.
$75 per hour if you tried to fix it, and failed.
The biggest error is sitting in front of your keyboard. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| "Older, free ZoneAlarm is better" subthread in »Steve Gibson on firewall leaktests and security
Free AV programs aren't typically BETTER, but AVG Free, at least, is smaller and more efficient than most paid AV programs.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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Randy Bell
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Santa Clara, CA
1 edit | B  I wish you would stop pushing your opinion about the old ZA in every thread you have opportunity to; the one you reference was actually OT to that thread, as jvmorris and others pointed out later. And not all of us {in fact, many of us, I might even call it the "silent majority" who don't want to keep beating a dead horse with you} agree with your opinion.
I will agree that the newest ZA Free is a nice free firewall and recommend that one for anyone wanting free. ZA 2.6.362 predates Windows XP and isn't even designed for that O.S.
I don't wish to start another fight but feel you shouldn't be allowed to push your controversial opinion unhindered in every thread without rebuttal, because many of us disagree with it. Thanks .. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| reply to B
I received an IM regarding whether my post above is on-topic. I certainly would not want to pollute or derail bruzzes's thread.
I have now re-read this thread's title several times, and bruzzes's inquiries several times. He or she specifically references AntiVirus software and ZoneAlarm, free software v. paid versions, and feature creep/bloat, and then asks for advice. I pointed bruzzes to a completely relevant contemporary subthread regarding the merits of using lighter free ZoneAlarm, and commented on free AVG. Having checked everything again, I can surmise that only the extraordinarily dull-witted could consider my post off-topic. This seems painfully simple and clear. bruzzes, please let me know if I've misread you.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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Randy Bell
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Santa Clara, CA
| You misunderstand, I'm not asserting your post is OT for this topic {it was OT for the other topic as JV pointed out in that one}; I'm saying you are inviting conflict by continuing to push your controversial opinion {which many if not most of us disagree with} in every thread you have opportunity. I don't consider myself dull-witted but I do see what you are doing .. |
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shalafi
join:2004-07-25
Abington, PA | I think the only real solution is not to talk about Zone Alarm ever again. Who's with me? Hurray Router! |
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Cybertoad
join:2001-11-08
Houston, TX
| said by shalafi :
I think the only real solution is not to talk about Zone Alarm ever again. Who's with me? Hurray Router!
If you think you don't need a software firewall because
you got a router then you are a lot stupider than you realize.:D |
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Wildcatboy
Premium,Mod
join:2000-10-30
Toronto, ON
Host:
Security Product V..
Security
| reply to Randy Bell
OK, let's not throw words around unless we can back them up. First, in my opinion those who decide to remain silent have already lost their votes so their opinions are irrelevant. Just like an election, if you don't vote, it really doesn't matter which party you support. So I urge the alleged "silent majority" to speak up and be prepared to back their opinions with facts.
Let's not throw words around without actually having the evidence to back them up because once certain statements are repeated over and over again they eventually become accepted and there may not be any truth to those statements.
once statements like "So and so is the best AV", "If you don't upgrade, you'll die", "Free applications just have to be inferior", etc... are thrown around by enough people, thousands of people who keep reading them in this forum think "oh well, if everyone says so, it must be so." and that is the farthest from the truth because it's not everyone who says so. It's the same people who say so over and over again and gather strength as they go along.
We've had so many occasions when a vocal minority in this forum have flooded this forum with misinformation (which is normally what they passionately believe in and it's not intentional to cause harm) however in the long run those views are harmful.
I've also seen the same group passionately fight with anyone who says anything different. The fact is that the silent majority you are talking about doesn't exist and what we hear, comes mostly from a vocal minority.
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You can catch the Devil, but you can't hold him long. |
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VirtualLarry
Premium
join:2003-08-01
| reply to Randy Bell
said by Randy Bell :
I don't wish to start another fight but feel you shouldn't be allowed to push your controversial opinion unhindered in every thread without rebuttal, because many of us disagree with it. Thanks ..
So then rebut it. What's the big deal?
The amount of censorship on this board, is seriously starting to creep me out. I almost cancelled my account yesterday because of it.
I've started to learn, that there is a sort of meta-discussion "game" going on, that certain users, can get the mods to delete the posts of others who question them, because the mods happen to agree with their viewpoint.
The "fact" that "controversy should be silenced" around here... well, let's just say that line of thinking really rubs me the wrong way.
I'm not saying that because of you, Randy, just that I'm very anti-censorship in general, and think that disputes should be handled with debate, not with eradication. |
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John2g
Qui Tacet Consentit
Premium
join:2001-08-10
England
| said by VirtualLarry :
I've started to learn, that there is a sort of meta-discussion "game" going on, that certain users, can get the mods to delete the posts of others who question them, because the mods happen to agree with their viewpoint.
I have been coming here for quite a while now and I can't say that I have noticed that. In fact I don't believe it.
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Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. |
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Keizer
I'M Your Huckleberry
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-20
| reply to mark5019
said by mark5019 :
i use za free,adaware, spybot s&d, spywareblaster all free for yrs not 1 complaint plus ive been clean
Ditto! those free programs have kept me on the wagon for a long time! 
Keizer |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| reply to VirtualLarry
A quick note to the thousands of forum readers (and the 3 or 4 who might still care at this point): I'm not seeing the whole discussion, but while I did NOT advocate a particular product in this thread AT ALL, and merely spent 7 words pointing to an open discussion, in the interest of clarity I believe the unwritten crux is this:
In my honest experience (and apparently that of a few others including the security forum moderator and the semi-Internet-celebrity Steve Gibson) ZoneAlarm 2.6 happens to be a better overall personal firewall product than ZoneAlarm 4 or 5, just as the old Kerio 2.1.5 firewall is frequently preferred over its newer iterations. (There's an entire forum here dedicated to the latter proposition.)
But I am NOT permitted to tell you that, because of course my magical powers forbid counterarguments. I apologize.
VirtualLarry -- I've seen some spates of overzealous moderation, chiefly inexplicable threadlocks, but not quite what you've proposed. Besides, talk like that will get THIS thread locked.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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John2g
Qui Tacet Consentit
Premium
join:2001-08-10
England | To B, or not to B, that is the question |
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fastez1
join:2001-12-26
Hephzibah, GA
| reply to bruzzes
"Free is better?" much better with regard to speech,opinion
and the payment the Mods receive at the end of each month.
I am in the process of receiving a good education from those
that participate in these Forums, I have found neither the
Mods or Members interfere with my ability to learn, quite
the opposite both are what make these Forums the valuable
tool I have come to rely on.
We are not Lemmings that must agree on every point of a
discussion, I learn considerably more from the Topics where
debate coupled with "good manners" is the order of the Day.
Back OT, the combination of free and paid is obvious, it
depends on your individual setup and requirements, this and
other Topics like it have made it much less labor intensive
for a semi-literate Computer User like me to learn and make
sound decisions. Thank God for our differences, that is what
makes Education possible and enjoyable. Subjects like Steve
Gibson and/or Zone Alarm etc. will always spark differences
of opinion and though I don't always agree, I do appreciate
the time and effort that goes into your contributions. I
will now recede back to my silent and comfortable role,
having given up my vote!!
Thanks and Be Well,
Ed
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DirecPc SRS on G11, 1370mhz, XP Pro P4 3.0 DPC v4.0.39 1.024G RAM |
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Just Basics
join:2003-06-08
Painter, VA
| reply to VirtualLarry
I wouldn't say free is better but in some cases I have found that free and sometimes older applications meet my needs.
Two of the major anti-virus programs gave me problems so I tried AVG free several years ago and it works well. I also have Anti-Vir and F-Prot as on demand scanners and use them about once a week. All are updated frequently.
I have tried the two most recent versions of Zone Alarm and had problems with both so I continue to use 3.2.711 which works flawlessly on my computer.
I was so impressed with Spybot that I donated and use Ad-Aware as a back up. I also use Hijack this and Belarc Advisor occasionally.
A subscription to TDS-3 rounds out the list.
Actually, the most important thing is to lock down your OS and browser, keep everything updated and to try not to do anything stupid. I also have an excellent ISP that scans my email and dumps anything suspicious - I haven't received any virus in the last 6 months. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| reply to bruzzes
said by bruzzes :
My question to the esteemed members of this forum is whether a free package of above named software can be utilized and be capable of rendering the necessary functions to keep one safe from intrusion.
Yes.
quote:
Also, I realize that the professional versions of the above software have additional features that can be utilized by specific users. Is the additional side-effects worth it?
In some cases. Most of the time, no. It's a Catch-22 really -- if the free versions DIDN'T do almost everything they should, then they wouldn't be nearly as popular. But with the free versions doing so much, the incentive to buy a "Pro" version is reduced. Thus the "Spybot's so great, I feel I should contribute" line of thinking works well for all parties. I used to feel the same way about Pegasus Mail versus Eudora.
So it seems hackneyed to say, but the answer to your second question depends on the particular program in question and your particular values.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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antiserious
The Future ain't what it used to be
Premium
join:2001-12-12
Scranton, PA
| reply to Just Basics
said by Just Basics :
I wouldn't say free is better but in some cases I have found that free and sometimes older applications meet my needs.
... agree, but for me I would say in MOST cases ...
___________________________________________________
... said by bruzzes - "My question to the esteemed members of this forum is whether a free package of above named software can be utilized and be capable of rendering the necessary functions to keep one safe from intrusion." ...
___________________________________________________
... it has for me, along with other software, education and awareness ...
... f w i w ...
... PS - I have studiously avoided comment in certain threads lately because they so quickly deteriorate into personal opinion/ personal agenda soapboxes and, IMHO, serve no useful purpose for the majority of visitors here ... to me that doesn't mean I 'lose my vote', I just choose not to waste it in certain situations ... some of you may have issues with the moderation in here, but frankly I find that less damaging than the 'actions' of certain MVM's - that title can carry some clout in here and I believe those who show that tag should act accordingly ... sadly, they often do not ...
... apologies if this drifted off-topic, and I certainly did not intend to 'flame' anyone in particular - unless of course they deserved it ... ...
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... "everybody's somebody to somebody, and nobody to everybody else" ... y.t. ... |
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