Free Antivirus Software

[Elton]

Quick question - why do people provide free anti-virus software?

 

I'm not knocking it (I use it on my laptop!), but there must be a motive. It's not like software that's written once, for fun, and given away. It has to be maintained daily, if not hourly!

 

So, anyone know why these guys do it?

[melpen]

The free anti-virus software has limitations, & pushing the free version onto the market provides a way to advertise the product & hopefully buy the extras or addons eg:-firewall, network checking, buisiness licences etc, this is where the real money is.

[Dan]

Same with firewalls and Spyware stuff

[MrWiggly]

Like sex really .... the first one's free !!

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

Grisoft (who I assume this thread concerns) now have a massive share of what was once Norton, F-secure and Mcafees market. In two or three years they will probably be the biggest player, espeically given the general publics disliking for Norton (even though Dell still bang it on every machine as standard AARRGH).

 

At that stage they'll hammer the world with a $20 a year subscription fee or something else that small that we pay it without thinking. Tens of millions of $20 per annum adds up to a shitload of cash. Meanwhile business users (who currently pay anyway) keep the company running in the medium term.

[Gaffer]

At work, on our personal laptops, we all run Sygate (Firewall) and Avast (Anti-Virus) together, and have never had any problems whatsoever. Both are free.

 

Take care,

 

Garth.

 

[ 29. September 2005, 08:32 AM: Message edited by: Gaffer ]