Vista won't need anti-virus software

Nom Chompsky

Nom Chompsky

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I hope this is true...it'll stop the smugness of all those other (*cough* Apple) users :p

Beta News

During a telephone conference with reporters yesterday, outgoing Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin, while touting the new security features of Windows Vista, which was released to manufacturing yesterday, told a reporter that the system's new lockdown features are so capable and thorough that he was comfortable with his own seven-year-old son using Vista without antivirus software installed.

Allchin's statement came in response to a question about his relative level of confidence that Vista would be more secure than Windows XP SP2. In response, he noted there were key security features added to Vista which could not be added to Windows XP SP2 even though, he said, his people apparently tried to do so.

"That's to be proven, so we will see about that. But I need to say the following: Windows Vista is something that will have issues in security, because the bar is being raised over time," Allchin continued. "But in my opinion, it is the most secure system that's available, and it's certainly the most secure system that we've shipped. So I feel very confident that customers are far better off by using Windows Vista than they are with anything that we've released before."
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Well, I don't use virus scanners with my WinXP system. I use:
- Firefox
- ZoneAlarm free firewall
- Windows Defender
- Common sense

Still, should be interesting to see what Vista offers. I doubt it will stay secure very long...
 
kilps said:
Let us come back to this in one years time ... Linux FTW :D
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Err - Linux and OsX FTW thank you very much.
he was comfortable with his own seven-year-old son using Vista without antivirus software installed.
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This guy probably doesnt let his son on the internet anyway.
So I feel very confident that customers are far better off by using Windows Vista than they are with anything that we've released before."
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I could say the same thing about a dog turd. :rolleyes:
 
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I really don't care if they say that I don't need it, I will still use it! I'm sure this is as true as the un-copyable Windows XP with all it's activation glory. :p
 
Lol

My sentiment's exactly w1zard...
so... ebendl... you just believe you don't have viruses then?

As for Vista not needing virus scanners...
ha ha ha
that's prolly cos M$ will come up with another term for virus.
 
bullfrog said:
I really don't care if they say that I don't need it, I will still use it! I'm sure this is as true as the un-copyable Windows XP with all it's activation glory. :p
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From what I've heard the problem is M$oft haven't yet given the Security people the sort of access they require to the guts of vista. They might not get the sort of access they require until SP1.

Could this be the real reason why they're pretending to be immune to infection?
 
Selective Quoting

"I'll give you an example: My son, seven years old, runs Windows Vista, and, honestly, he doesn't have an antivirus system on his machine. His machine is locked down with parental controls, he can't download things unless it's to the places that I've said that he could do, and I'm feeling totally confident about that," he added. "That is quite a statement. I couldn't say that in Windows XP SP2."
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To put it another way: If you run vista with the same permissions as a seven-year-old, you don't need antivirus.:confused:

No wait... that's plain dumb too.:D
 
i may be the thickest bloke around here then, but none of my xp machines have got antivirus installed, they never have and i dont plan to install any.

common sense is all it takes to keep you safe and happy.

i could justify this, but i think it would be too much of a long post. each user has their own way of doing things...
 
You might already have a virus you just don't know it. That's why it's not a very good idea. Especially since you could be infecting other people with the virus too ;)

Just get avg or something!
 
nah, see, i WOULD know.

call it confidence, call it experience of whatever you want, but i dont have a virus. 100% fact.
 
But it also depends on your habits and what you do. If you have a machine that doesn't have internet then you don't need anti virus. If you never even in your life download any piece of software then sure take the risks.

The problem is that there are things that are out of your control that could cause you to get a virus. Like if you look at IE, it's got more holes than swiss cheese ;) Now you can be as careful as you like, but you're still taking a risk.

It's fine we don't mind you taking the risk and all, but it's when you're computer start spreading the damn things that gets irritating and when people complain that they don't know what's happening cause they all of a sudden start using 10 times more bandwidth than usual and their caps are disappearing.
 
lol, bullfrog, i full yunderstand your argument.

mine is simple, because you have av installed does that mean you can go like the jolly roger wherever you want, confident that you are protected? or, put it another way, have s3x with hiv positive people coz you wearing a condom?

...the av software instills a level of confidence in the user. this confidence is highly overrated.

perosnally, i know i dont have a virus, and never will have one. these are all internet facing machines (and you may think i have a big head) but i was online in 1994 with a 200bps modem. by now, i have seen all the tricks..it's like a sixth-sense.

or, put it another way, in 5 years, using xp on multiple machines (and doing internet downloads etc) i havent once had a virus.

have you?


av is like wrapping your car in bubble wrap, so that you dont get hurt when you crash...
sure, you can drive more haphazardly now, but the correct approach is to be a better driver and not to crash in the first place.

the internet is similar to the wild wild west...treat it as such and you will know what is appropriate behaviour.
if you dont have the knack, then by all means use av.
 
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Listen werner - when you are running a system such as windows there is always the possibility that a virus will be forwarded to you by email and open and installed without you knowing - what an anti-virus does is ensure that should this happen you are notified and it removes the threat.

I'll leave you be if you download AVG or avast and post a printscreen of no virus' found. It won't take that much of your time
 
We have a solitary XP machine in the house and while I could probably vouch for myself I cannot say with absolute certainty that without some protection it would remain virus free for long.

So I slapped on kaspersky because it adds another layer protection (and cos its free) because there are things that are beyond my control and that it's not the 5 years without a virus that buggers you - its the single day with one.
 
We're talking about Windows here. Of course Vista will get viruses, sooner or later. People who write these nasties will certainly come up with a way to write them for Vista. Remember, it's still a Microsoft product. ;)
 
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