But, in case you didn’t already know, Microsoft offers anti-virus/anti-malware product free-of-cost to Windows XP and Windows 7 users in the form of Microsoft Security Essentials. In fact, its been available since late 2009, and the current version is pretty good. Microsoft’s AV technology, acquired in the purchase of the Romanian software company GeCAD way back in June of 2003, is offered in a commercial package as “Forefront Client Security.”

    Now, it isn’t exactly free; if you are using it for business purposes and have more than ten computers, Microsoft requires that you purchase Forefront or use some other solution. Likewise, it isn’t to be used on a Microsoft Windows Server Anything. But, if you use Windows XP or Windows 7 as your primary OS, and aren’t getting an antivirus program through some other means (Comcast subscribers get Norton 360 with their subscription, and perhaps you masochistically enjoy the tender ministrations of Symantec’s bloated offering) then I encourage you to try it out. Microosft Security Essentials (Google search).

    More importantly, why would anyone be browsing the internet from their server console?

    Some people really shouldn’t be allowed to operate their own computer equipment.

    Microsoft, I know you’ve taken plenty of heat lately on security issues, and that IE7 is actually pretty secure provided it is

1. updated constantly with the many security fixes you provide
2. operated in a completely paranoid manner by technically savvy individuals

    But if a user is even slightly incompetent or credulous–as the average human is–then within an alarmingly short period of time most Windows-based computers are compromised. Add this to the many shortcomings of the bloated server offerings and unwieldy desktop offerings and I am more satisfied with my decision to use Linux on my laptop every day.

    And yet what alternative do we have in the business space? I can’t sell open source business solutions to save my life! People always complain that they aren’t compatible enough, can’t be integrated easily enough. And if I do happen to sell an open source–or even a non-Microsoft closed source–solution and ANYTHING goes wrong with it I get blamed for the recommendation. You sold me this crap. It’s your fault, says Mr. Unhappy Customer.
    If a Microsoft solution fails–as they sometimes do–then I can usually pass the blame on Microsoft, and the customer is cool with it.

    In the really old days there was a phrase: “No one gets fired for buying IBM.”
    Unfortunately, these days this phrase equally applies to Microsoft.