Last week I was browsing the local electronics retailer's multi-page ad. I like browsing and the wishful thinking I'll buy something new. I am totally into gadgets and computers. But on the back page was no less than seven anti-virus products all sporting a cost of $0 after rebates of course. Of course when you get the product they are betting on yearly fees for renewals, updates etc.. Just imagine how lucrative the anti-virus market is. No really just imagine it for a minute ....................................................................................................................................
Okay that was long enough. The average renewal is probably $10-25 per year and upgrades for current customers are usually $25 and up. Take millions of customers and that is a ton of dough. Where is the real incentive for these companies to really protect you? I see virus activity all the time in my work and every time some anti-virus product is installed. Sure they say they want to help. They provide tech support and online forums but they really can't stop the threats 100% of the time.
That is one of the main reasons I run Linux. I really don't worry about it any longer. And I save hundreds of dollars not buying software and renewals. Something to ponder the next time one hits or you pull the credit card out for a renewal or update. For those that won't ever switch from Windows at least visit this site and download and run Secunia's Personal Security Inspector tool. It's free and they are independent of the anti-virus vendors. It will tell you where your system is vulnerable and tell you what to do. It may very well save you some serious headaches.
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