Why I Kicked AVG out of my Computer

Disgusted, I got rid of AVG 8.0, about 20 minutes after I installed it. I am now working with (and enjoying) the Comodo anti-virus freeware. And why? Here ya go:

Freeware isn't a new thing on the web and in the computer world. A freeware is a software that's fully functional for an unlimited time with no monetary cost. In the beginning, those were usually nice-to-have software and apps, but most of the "important" or "good" software was either shareware or something you had to buy.

All this has changed, naturally, since the term Open Source has become a part of the mainstream. A lot of companies understood that it's in their interest to provide freeware alongside with other products, that you need to actually buy.

So, we have free-everything: from games to word processors, from PDF readers to anti-virus. You can have a computer and not pay one cent for software - from the OS down.

My first free anti-virus

Grisoft was a company that "got it". A few years back they released AVG anti-virus - a completely free anti-virus software that came as a huge relief to all the Norton and Mcafee victims.

Symantec and Mcafee have dominated the PC security market for years - mainly because there was no one else around. Norton was a synonym to anti-virus, but somewhere along the line it became a heavy, stupid, controlling and annoying product. You could hardly get rid of it - and it cost too much for its worth.

AVG was the first free anti-virus software that I tried, and for years it did a very good job. I installed it on many computers - and my friends, family and other users were very happy with it. It was lightweight, efficient and invisible. A classic.

The upgrade cometh

A while ago I started getting annoying pop-ups whenever I updated AVG, nagging me to upgrade to version 8.0. As usual, I didn't hurry it up. I waited about a month and only then, warily, decided to upgrade.

The installation was quick as usual. I noticed that the icon of the product got a new design, and the colors were suspiciously reminiscent of those belonging to a certain software giant we all know and hate. But that's not a reason to kick out an anti-virus.

The new interface wasn't better than the old one. Just more flashy. But that's not a reason to kick out an anti-virus.

I noticed that the memory consumption of the AVG 8.0 is larger than the one of the older version. Strike one.

Then, I opened my Firefox and searched for something in Google. And lo and behold, out of nowhere, strange signs began to appear next to each result. At first I thought Google flipped or something, but then I realized it was AVG - checking each link in a slow, annoying way, and informing me if it's "safe" or not. REALLY! Strike two.

I immediately went to disable this highly-annoying feature. AVG wasn't happy. Now, instead of the usual, colorful icon in my system tray, I got an exclamation mark! BAD GIRL! You disabled a new feature! We like that feature! As a punishment, you will get an exclamation mark and won't be able to see the true status of your anti-virus.

STRIKE THREE. YOU'RE OUT, AVG!

I mean, OK, I know it's a freeware. I am not paying a dime for it. I can't complain.

First of all, I CAN complain - because I have a blog and it's a great platform for it :). Secondly, if I want to disable a feature, that doesn't mean you have to render the software annoying and practically useless! And thirdly - the fact that there IS competition in the freeware market, and the fact that there is ALWAYS a replacement for anything, should indeed make Grisoft think long and hard before they make their software unfriendly.

I am not the only one that ditched AVG 8.0 - it's all over the web now.

I personally put in Comodo Antivirus 2.0 (beta) and I'm very happy with it. I also use their firewall, which is very good. There are plenty of others to choose from. Grisoft just lost a customer, and I'm guessing it won't be the last.

Kill Programs Quickly and Efficiently

If you are using Windows, you can probably hit CTRL+ALT+DEL with your eyes closed. We have done it so many times, those keyboard keys are almost worn out.

The worst part is that the Task Manager doesn't always do its job. You tell it to kill a process - it refuses. You try to shut down a stuck program - and nothing happens.

Task Killer 2.30 offer a neat solution. Just install it and get control over all programs and processes. Instead of hitting CTRL+ALT+DEL and getting annoyed, just click on the killer icon, and choose a program to terminate.

Task killer works on Win95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP - and is completely free. Yet another excellent freeware solution. Well done!

The Ultimate Anti-Virus and Security List

The good people of Mashable have composed a very through list of anti-virus, anti-spyware and security tools.

There are many good security tools out there - a lot of them are free. I personally use:

• AVG free as an anti-virus.
• Kerio as a firewall (no, the windows firewall isn't enough).
• Spybot and Hijackthis as anti-spyware. Seems like Spybot has gotten "tired" over the years. Hijackthis is only for those of you who know what they are doing, by the way.
  
• AVG Rootkit removal - for the one (and hopefully the last) time I got hit by a scary rootkit.
• Regmon - for when the shit really hits the fan, and there are no other programs who can help me. Kids, don't try this at home!

The Best Freeware Sites

Good old freeware is always a great thing to find. Especially if it's a really good program, like Taskbar Shuffle and the sort.

Here is a list of some great freeware sites. Remember, if you enjoy a program, consider donating some money to the developer. This way, freeware will remain FREE:

• Snapfiles Freeware Section
• NoNags
• Grandfiles
  
• TechSupport - freeware utility list
• eConsultant Freeware list
• Freewarebox
• Best Freeware
• Freeware Guide
• A list of 300 freeware programs

Enjoy!

What a Wonderful List: 480+ Open Source Applications

Mashable.com has delivered again: an excellent list of over 480 Open Source applications.

Naturally, you won't need ALL of them, but a few might be extremely useful. It's very interesting to see how much open source has become part of the life of the computer user - many times without them knowing that they are using open source software.

What's really amazing to me, is the amount of times that these programs prove to be a hell of a lot better than the "regular" commercial programs. I think Pidgin is an excellent example - it's an Instant Messenger that allows you to use all of your IM accounts in one place. There's nothing new about that, but Pidgin does the job wonderfully.

It's simple, it connects instantly, it has all of the options of the "regular" IMs and it looks better than most of them. I enjoy using it, and I love the fact that it was made by people who really understand the needs of a computer user.

I also love Media Player Classic, which easily and effortlessly solved a lot of codec and drivers problem I had while playing videos on my computer.

These programs are the proof that it can be done better, lighter, more efficient and more fun. When I enjoy a program very much, like the amazingly efficient Taskbar Shuffle (Microsoft, oh Microsoft - how in the hell didn't YOU think about that), I also make it a point to donate the creator. In this case, it's not open source, but I don't really care. It's the only time that I really ENJOY paying for a piece of software.