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Sophos offering their anti-virus program free for Mac users...

post #1 of 17
11/2/10 at 8:38pm
Thread Starter 
Typically this company provides anti virus solutions in enterprise situations. Anybody with experience using their products for home applications?

I'm giving this a go to see how it does. The price is right and the brand has some recognition. I shy a way from some of the open source products on the market but would be interested in how this compares.

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-...ac-anti-virus/
~Tokolosh
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~Tokolosh
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post #2 of 17
11/2/10 at 9:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tokolosh View Post

Typically this company provides anti virus solutions in enterprise situations. Anybody with experience using their products for home applications?

I'm giving this a go to see how it does. The price is right and the brand has some recognition. I shy a way from some of the open source products on the market but would be interested in how this compares.

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-...ac-anti-virus/

Why an anti virus solution when there's no problem?
This is snake oil.
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post #3 of 17
11/3/10 at 8:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post

Why an anti virus solution when there's no problem?
This is snake oil.

However, with Apple gaining market share it wouldn't surprise me to see a few more problems here or there. Plus, with the occasional need I have to run Windows I have picked up a couple of minor bugs that this program picked up and got rid of. I just don't want to shell out for one of the big Windowscompatible programs when I use it so infrequently.
~Tokolosh
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~Tokolosh
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post #4 of 17
11/3/10 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post

Why an anti virus solution when there's no problem?
This is snake oil.

Just because there aren't any (or very many, depending on your take) viruses for Mac OS, doesn't mean you can't be a carrier of Windows viruses, passing them along to Windows users via email, network shares or flash drives.
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post #5 of 17
11/4/10 at 4:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliasWyvernspur View Post

Just because there aren't any (or very many, depending on your take) viruses for Mac OS, doesn't mean you can't be a carrier of Windows viruses, passing them along to Windows users via email, network shares or flash drives.

Why wouldn't I want to do that?
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #6 of 17
11/4/10 at 7:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliasWyvernspur View Post

Just because there aren't any (or very many, depending on your take) viruses for Mac OS, doesn't mean you can't be a carrier of Windows viruses, passing them along to Windows users via email, network shares or flash drives.

If Windows users need anti-virus on my Mac they can 1) ask me nicely, 2) shell out for the anti-virus application, and 3) rent my HD space and processor cycles.

Why should Mac users suffer and pay for Windows users' consciously self-inflicted problems? Have Windows users ever done anything to make Mac users' life any easier? Quite the contrary, in the past 26 years! So Macs carrying Windows viruses are a Windows problem caused by Windows users. Ergo: let them solve it! I have no problems with it.
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post #7 of 17
11/4/10 at 7:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post

If Windows users need anti-virus on my Mac they can 1) ask me nicely, 2) shell out for the anti-virus application, and 3) rent my HD space and processor cycles.

Why should Mac users suffer and pay for Windows users' consciously self-inflicted problems? Have Windows users ever done anything to make Mac users' life any easier? Quite the contrary, in the past 26 years! So Macs carrying Windows viruses are a Windows problem caused by Windows users. Ergo: let them solve it! I have no problems with it.

Gee, and we wonder why Windows users think Mac "fanboys" are arrogant. I'll be honest (and this comparison is a real stretch,) but that kind of attitude is like a guy not wanting to use protection because he can't get pregnant.

Granted, Windows users should be taking responsibility for their system being protected. However, since it's a small, free AV program. Are you that hard up for memory, CPU cycles and hard drive space?

Besides, perhaps you misunderstood me: I wasn't posting telling people they need to use it, just that there is a reason to.
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post #8 of 17
11/4/10 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliasWyvernspur View Post

Gee, and we wonder why Windows users think Mac "fanboys" are arrogant.

No, no wondering involved at all: those Windows users are basically looking in the mirror. Now they know what it feels like. It's simply a case of returning a 26 year favor. With interest. They set themselves up for it. All that time. Knowingly. So let them suffer the consequences. They deserve it 100% after having tried hard for a quarter century to ostracize, strangle, and trip up Macs at every conceivable turn.
It's payback. The schoolyard bully is getting his come-uppance. And, ironically, entirely of his own making.
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post #9 of 17
11/4/10 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post

No, no wondering involved at all: those Windows users are basically looking in the mirror. Now they know what it feels like. It's simply a case of returning a 26 year favor. With interest. They set themselves up for it. All that time. Knowingly. So let them suffer the consequences. They deserve it 100% after having tried hard for a quarter century to ostracize, strangle, and trip up Macs at every conceivable turn.
It's payback. The schoolyard bully is getting his come-uppance. And, ironically, entirely of his own making.

Well, if it's out of spite, then go for it, lol.
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post #10 of 17
11/4/10 at 9:05pm
For free? They couldn't pay me to take it. Just about the only problems I've had with my Mac over the years came from installing virus protection software.
Please don't be insane.
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Please don't be insane.
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post #11 of 17
11/4/10 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post

For free? They couldn't pay me to take it. Just about the only problems I've had with my Mac over the years came from installing virus protection software.

Yeah, when you get an army you'll find a war.
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post #12 of 17
11/15/10 at 1:10am
We use Sophos at our University and it sucks!! It uses up lots of resources (your computer will run slower), causes some programs to not work properly, and gets itself stuck trying to update itself (SAV service no longer responding). I've tried it on Windows XP, Vista, 7 as well as Windows Server 2003 and my Mac. Same experience every time. They couldn't pay me to put it on my computer; it's as crippling as the viruses...

It also can be quite a pain to completely uninstall; be warned that once you put it on your computer, you may need to wipe it clean in order to ever get it off again...
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post #13 of 17
11/16/10 at 4:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rrabu View Post

We use Sophos at our University and it sucks!! It uses up lots of resources (your computer will run slower), causes some programs to not work properly, and gets itself stuck trying to update itself (SAV service no longer responding). I've tried it on Windows XP, Vista, 7 as well as Windows Server 2003 and my Mac. Same experience every time. They couldn't pay me to put it on my computer; it's as crippling as the viruses...

It also can be quite a pain to completely uninstall; be warned that once you put it on your computer, you may need to wipe it clean in order to ever get it off again...

Quite!
It's CRAPWARE!
3 People around me fell for it, installed it, and ran it. Subsequently their systems started to run very hot in their owners' absence. Like 90ºC (194ºF) hot! while they were essentially doing nothing but running Mail and a screensaver.
Activity Monitor showed Sophos and related processes running wild at 135% of CPU load in the background! Small wonder it ran hot!

Quote:
They couldn't pay me to put it on my computer; it's as crippling as the viruses...

It's worse: it wears out/burns up the hardware!
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post #14 of 17
11/16/10 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post

It's worse: it wears out/burns up the hardware!

That doesn't happen. It's electricity. It's not like construction equipment that wears down with use. If you can't run your computer at 100% CPU 24/7/365, there's something wrong with the machine.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #15 of 17
11/16/10 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

That doesn't happen. It's electricity. It's not like construction equipment that wears down with use.

High temperatures shorten the CPU's (and other IC's) lifespan (not to mention the cooling fans'!). It also uses peak energy.

Quote:
If you can't run your computer at 100% CPU 24/7/365, there's something wrong with the machine.

Let me know when you've actually done that.
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post #16 of 17
12/1/10 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssjohn143 View Post

There are no MacOS X viruses, you do not need any antivirus application. The Sophos website below will back me up.

No, it won't! Sophos is the one trying to 'sell' us Mac users on that anti-virus application of theirs, aren't they? Sophos is selling snake oil. Like the other anti-virus software companies they thrive on terrorized users. So they do plenty of that terrorizing themselves!
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post #17 of 17
12/17/10 at 8:29am
though i prefer http://www.protemac.com/netmine/ firewall
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