Vista - Microsoft Announces Free Antivirus Software for H2 2009

Written by Jason Mick(Blog) - November 19, 2008 9:40 AM


Microsoft has long annoyed security software makers over the last decade as it has rolled out free products which often offer a competitive alternative to competitor's packaged software free-of-charge. Microsoft merely offered a decently competitive product for a much cheaper price -- free.

With its firewall and antispyware (Windows Defender) built into Vista, business for private firewall software already has taken a hit. Now in a move that is sure to make Trend Micro, McAffee, Norton, and other security software makers lose sleep; Microsoft has announced that in 2009, it will offer free antivirus software.


Read more at the source:
DailyTech - Microsoft Announces Free Antivirus Software for H2 2009

See here: Microsoft to kill off Windows Live OneCare next year

I guess we know what one item will be included in Morro.

Some Questions and Answers on the change to Morro here :-

"Microsoft’s announcement this week of plans for a new, free antimalware service — and the end of life of its Windows Live OneCare product — has spawned a bunch of new questions among customers, partners and industry watchers. While Windows Live OneCare was no barn burner, in terms of marketshare, Microsoft typically gives its products/services at least three releases before killing them. And the 3.0 release of OneCare was imminent — in fact, the Microsoft Update team blogged at the end of October that customers should expect to see it soon.
So what led Microsoft to decide so quickly to kill OneCare — and to rush to pull it from the channel? The Softies won’t say when or exactly why the decision was made. All they will say is that Microsoft believes a lighter-weight, free solution will be more optimal for users of smaller form-factor PCs, here and in developing countries.
Over the past couple of days, I had a chance to ask Microsoft a few more questions about the disappearance of OneCare and sudden appearance of Morro (a codename and service that no one I’ve spoken with has heard a peep about until this week).
Here are a few more tidbits (my questions and a spokesperson from Microsoft’s Windows team’s answers):"


Read More


Still more questions than answers about Microsoft Morro | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Well it should always have been free and from Microsoft.

Why should people have to pay for software that help protect problems in the OS that Microsoft has that allows stuff like that to happen while installing and surfing the web.

You should just have to buy the OS and expect that you will stay as safe as you can without to much worry.

I just wish Windows did not have viruses, spyware, malware etc. Other OS's can get away from it why can't windows

Because 90% of the computers in the world run Windows, that simple. If 90% of computers ran Mac OSX then it would be Apple with all the problems, same goes for Linux.

I think you'll find that the other OS's have their problems as well you just don't hear so much about it as they're not as big as Microsoft and there are more computers in the world running Windows than there are running any of the other OS's.
Which is another reason Microsoft are the target, they are much more visible and easy to get at