RSSWindows OneCare Beta Program Starts
By Nate Mook | Published July 20, 2005, 1:46 PM
Microsoft has sent notices to testers announcing that the first beta release of Windows OneCare is now available to download. Windows OneCare builds on Microsoft's security acquisitions to offer customers a PC protection and maintenance package.
Initially OneCare will include antivirus and firewall protection, an automated PC tune-up, and backup and restore functionality. Anti-spyware protection is not included in the initial beta, but will be added at a later date, Microsoft says.
The company also expects to build in additional functionality throughout the OneCare testing period.
"Windows OneCare is built on the goal that protecting your PC should be easy and intuitive. The interface and workflow have been designed around one simple concept: get green and stay green. Your Windows OneCare status can be green, yellow, or red," Microsoft beta coordinators explained to testers.
"Green means your status is good and Windows OneCare has not detected anything you should do to improve the overall health of your computer. Yellow means that there is an action you should take to better protect or maintain your PC's health. Red means that your computer or its contents are at risk."
Users can determine the status of their computer through the Windows OneCare icon in the system tray, or by launching the application directly.
The Windows OneCare beta program will run during the summer and will be followed by a wider public beta test later in the year.
If they give it away for free they get screwed by other companies that sell similar applications (Norton, McAfee, etc.).
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|Personally, I don't mind. I don't see the big deal in MS jumping on stuff to secure and maintain their own OS. If it's free, even better. I have nothing against Symantec or the myriad other companies doing maintainance/security software - but I guess I figure, since MS knows their own OS (to at least some extent, despite and the bugs and patching), I'll welcome any programs they offer in addition to the OS in an attempt to make it better. Am I the only one?
MS may be aholitos but their software isn't so bad? Office? Antispy? WMP10? MSIM? I dunno - maybe they'r brainwashing me slowly...
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|You're right, actually... no brainwashing necessary.
There's nothing wrong with them releasing a product that does what users should be doing on their own but either A) Don't know how, or B) Don't really care because they're too lazy (for whatever reason)... it's the "Automatic Updates" mentality.
The logic is simple... why should I, as a user, have to do it, when I can instead install this program and let it do the work for me?
I just wish that logic applied to the world too... why should I, as an employee, do work when I can delegate it to some lower slacker to do for me............... hmm, oh wait, that's what managers do, lol.
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|This is another example of Microsoft's "attempt" to add a utility that some other company has gotten right. Does anyone remember Microsoft AntiVirus, part of MS-DOS 6????
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|Yeah, I remember it... what about it? Did you have a point or did you just want those of us in the know to reminisce about the "good old days"?
And oh yeah, I'll take time to mention that this product is NOT a free add-on to Windows. Microsoft has stated several times in previous press releases that this will be a product you pay for (although probably much less than Norton SystemWorks).
Ahhh... DOS 6.0, now THOSE were the good old days... j/k.
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|"Symantec" going out of buisness, were did you get this information from? Symantec is a huge company, they won't be going out of buisness anytime soon.
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|This will be a good thing.
Funny too that Symantec will be going out of business soon I bet :)
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|Not likely. Symantec has a wider range of products than just adware/virus removal. It's all crap, of course, but they're more diversified than this OneCare baloney.
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|Believe it or not, Norton Antivirus, Internet Security, and SystemWorks are NOT the only products that Symantec produces. They have an entire corporate product lineup of software as well as network appliance hardware that makes up a much larger customer base than their consumer products. Therefore the likelihood of them going out of business is pretty darn close to none... and if they did, it is only because they turned their corporate products into blobs of puss like their consumer products and fail to offer anything that makes them *better*.
That being said, I recommend that you stop clicking on "Post Your Comment".
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|It will be very interesting to see what color your Status is if it has detected claria on your system.
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|hmmm...will this also ignore claria?
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|:lol:
Too funny.
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|LoL, yes quite, I hope Micro$soft doesnt think this will rid users fear that they are using one of the most insecure OS's out there. ;)
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|Careful, you got it all wrong: should be Micro$oft, not "Micro$soft".
That's because the "$" makes it for the "s" and that's the funny bit of the joke, you see?
And it's a funny joke because the "$" looks like an "s", and at the same times it makes MS (or "M$", arf arf) look like they only care about money, you see?
So watch out, you've just ruined the joke and that's just too sad.
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|Why did I read that? Can I have my 30 seconds back, please?
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|Maybe because you have no social life and too much time on your hand?
Still, 30 seconds to read three sentences... that's some exploit. Congratulations.
Now take another 30 seconds and try to understand what you've read.
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|i stopped reading halfway and posted this comment...im cool.
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|They should stick with operating systems.
I remember when they entered into the 3d modelling biz and now they're doing the same with the 2d software that is supposed to compete against Photoshop.
bleh.
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|That imaging software wasn't suppose to compete with Photoshop...
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