 |
As had been anticipated, Beta 2 of Microsoft’s free Windows Defender antispyware offering for Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 was released late yesterday. Aside from replacing the previous name of Windows Antispyware there are these new features:
- A redesigned and simplified user interface
- Improved detection and removal
- Protection for all users on a computer
- Support for 64-bit platforms, accessibility and localization
Finally, the problem with Beta 1 disabling Norton Antivirus was also fixed with a new signature update.
Robert McMillan at Infoworld has a detailed report in Paid search results often not worth the click:
Microsoft Corp. does not think much of Secure Computer LLC. It says the company and its partners have “exploited computer users,” and that the company’s antispyware product is of “questionable effectiveness.” Last week, it went so far as to join forces with the Washington state attorney general and sue the White Plains, New York, company over its business practices.
And yet, more than a week after the lawsuits, Microsoft is still running ads for the company’s Spyware Cleaner software on its MSN Web site. Why? Welcome to the murky world of paid search, where the ads that pop up can lead to big money for the search companies, and big headaches for unsuspecting users.
Another example quoted in the article describes how a Google search for reports on the weather in Stowe, Vermont lead to a spyware infestation. This problem isn’t all that much different than publishing ads in other media – the publisher has to have a process for handling complaints and weeding out the duds.
Search engine companies are clearly aware of the problem, but some others, like Google, are vague about what they are doing to address it. Yahoo Inc.’s Search Marketing uses a combination of software and a “human editorial team that actually takes a look at questionable listings,” a company spokeswoman said.
A spokeswoman for Microsoft’s public relations agency confirmed that the company does use some filters to control how sponsored ads appear, but declined to comment further.
…
Microsoft was also unable to explain why ads for Secure Computer’s products were still being advertised via its adCenter paid search service, saying the MSN’s product is still being tested and that Microsoft has not yet documented its usage policies.One day after IDG News informed Google about Richard Smith’s experiences with WeatherStudio, the software was no longer advertised in a search for “Stowe Weather.”
It sounds like they all have a way to go and Microsoft further than the others.
Gregg Kreizer at InformationWeek:
Windows Defender, Microsoft’s free anti-spyware program that’s been in beta for more than a year, will shift into its second round of testing in the next two months, developers for the Redmond, Wash. company said recently in an online chat.
Defender is the new brand name for what Microsoft still calls Windows AntiSpyware, the add-on that’s been in Beta 1 since it debuted more than a year ago. Beta 1 only works in Windows XP.
Windows Defender Beta 2, on the other hand, will be available for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista, with additional editions for earlier Windows posted at some undisclosed future date. It will be included with both the client and server versions of Vista, Microsoft’s next operating system, which is to unveil late in 2006.
More on new features by following the link, but the prolonged beta is apparently due to the time required to integrate the original product that was acquired with GIANT Company Software in 2004 and made available as Beta 1. Also there are no plans to change Defender’s free status.
Build 1.0.701 is now available for download. Some details:
The latest beta refresh, build 1.0.701, extends the Windows AntiSpyware beta expiration date to July 31, 2006 and provides new signature updates to help protect against recently identified spyware.
Existing users of the beta (Build 1.0.615) will receive a software update that includes the new beta refresh. The latest beta refresh is also available for download through this site.
Microsoft would like to encourage all Windows AntiSpyware (beta) users to download and install the new update (Build 1.0.701).
