Microsoft Acquires Anti-Spyware Leader GIANT Company

[worldcitizen]

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...-16GIANTPR.asp

What do you guys think about this?

Will DCS be next?

Dave

[richrf]

I think Microsoft should fix its own operating system which allows so many unauthorized entries in my system - my home. I beleive that the financial system will one way or another ultimately force Microsoft to re-look its whole underlying architecture. An architecture that is designed to allow Microsoft to "look into" everyone's home and observe what is going on. These openings are a welcome wagon for unauthorized visits from not so nice people.

Rich

[Infinity]

I am not that happy with it, at least we all get a free limited built in version as XP Owners, but I hope it will not go in the same direction like Microsoft and RAV and

[nadirah]

Micrsoft still thinks that they're the NUMBER 1 company in the whole world, they delibrately make themselves bigger by eating up those companies that are smaller than theirs.
Microsoft really has a very good appetite I say...

[dread]

Lol. Ms will probably go in and change it around just like ca did with pestpatrol and screw up everything. Ms is way worse than ca, so they probably screw it all up real good way worse than what ca did with pestpatrol. Probably crash all the time and not catch anything. Probably will start to have security holes all in it lol.Wow INFINITY, I just looked up that Microsoft and RAV deal. Might be wrong post but what ever happened if you know?

[steverio]

I wonder what will become of Giant's "Spam Inspector"?

[Sisko]

Sorry posted to the wrong forum.

Sad news for user of Giant Software products

Microsoft Acquires Anti-spyware Leader
Giant Company Software Inc.
New offerings will help customers keep spyware and other deceptive software off of their computers.

On December 16, 2004, Microsoft announced its acquisition of GIANT Company Software, Inc., a provider of top-rated anti-spyware and Internet security products. Microsoft will use the acquisition to provide its customers with new tools to help protect them from the threat of spyware and other deceptive software. In addition, key personnel from Giant will be joining Microsoft’s security efforts

[Infinity]

You wanna know my answer it will be implemented in Outlook...but only for version 2003 lol so you got another reason to buy it...

yes @Dread : the way I see it: Rav hasn't been updated in a while... I believe yesterday or the day before again...didn't hear about in a month...that is why I think the Giant -MS isn't that good after all, there are others...will spare you that...but pp and ca is one of them...it got worse...my 2 cents...

inf.

[dan_maran]

Well I like Giant and I like Microsoft, I just hope Microsoft keeps up with the direction giant was going. I am wondering if they are going to combine the Giant AS and RAV into one package.

[the Tester]

I'm not happy with this acquisition either!
This reminds me of when I registered RAV.Within a month after I did that, MS bought them out.

[Eldar]

Originally Posted by the Tester

I'm not happy with this acquisition either!

Not happy here either.
Reminds me of Bloomba getting acquired by Yahoo. Left every existing customer in the cold.

[Paul Wilders]

Ladies and gents,

My two sixpence:

Looking upon this from a broader perspective, I believe this is a good move. In the end, it's the 'average user' that counts here - and my estimated guess is 95% never ever heard of the word 'spyware'. It's for good reasons many reports worldwide do report 70 - 80% of all systems being infected with all sorts of spyware.

In case this move will result in a far less percentage - and in my mind no doubt that will be the case - that's a big plus.

regards,

paul

[Infinity]

yes Paul, but still the bad experience...the overall pluspoint may be a good thing but a lot of people experienced an overtake in the bad way...

but I hear you, we'll see.

Inf.

[bellgamin]

I was right on the verge of buying Giant. WHEW!!! Thank goodness I didn't. IMHO Giant will go the way of RAV -- into obscurity.

[worldcitizen]

I fully agree with Paul. This is Microsoft's 1st really serious attempt to deal with spyware and by acquiring Giant they are showing they are serious about it. For those who are glad they didn't buy it's a non-event because you can't buy even if you wanted to because there's nowhere to buy it from now.

Let's wait and see but I believe it's very good news Microsoft is at last trying to address spyware and they couldn't have chosen a better product.

I predict that the percentage of spyware will drop dramatically once Microsoft start employing their new spyware package and that's good for everyone.

Dave

[Paul Wilders]

Originally Posted by INFINITY

yes Paul, but still the bad experience...the overall pluspoint may be a good thing but a lot of people experienced an overtake in the bad way...

but I hear you, we'll see.

Inf.

Overall fairly sure this is a good thing as far as I'm concerned - for the benefit of the big majority of 'average Joe's and Jane's'.

As for the overtake: let's face it: that's as common as potatoes, not merely in regard to especially MSoft. Friendly or hostile overtakings ar happening every day in business, big business as well. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. I do hear your concern though.

regards.

paul

[Acadia]

Great news! If MS really does make this available for free to all users of Win2000 and later, tens of millions of folks who do not have it now will finally have at least some protection from the baddies. The baddies will have to try harder ... and they will. The game continues...

Acadia

[worldcitizen]

We could be seeing this in an XP SP 3 as well as in Longhorn. This is definitely a plus for security if they decide to have an inbuilt spyware scanner with their OS as PC's will be far better protected. I think users can see that Microsoft want to have an AV as well as AS and firewall in their security applications that come with their OS in future and this is a very good step to making Windows more secure.

Dave

[worldcitizen]

The PC world really needed a huge company like Microsoft to lead the way with anti-spyware because so many PC users are ignorant of it. Now at least there will be a very good education campaign. Already on their security site Microsoft are beginning to educate users about spyware and it's eradication.

A step in the right direction:

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx

Dave

[worldcitizen]

It seems that Spam will also be a major target as Giant's Spam Inspector was one of the most popular anti-spam programs around. So I think we'll be seeing a lot of security products and improvements from MS in the near future especially for LongHorn.

Dave

While I do agree with what Paul said ... I do believe it would benefit the majority of users. It definitely has some adverse aspects too.

For one I hope it remains as an optional standalone product, M$ has enough issues with integration, and the dire consequences from those short sights.

Two I think the acquisition somewhat lessons the competitiveness of the Anti-Spy Sector. M$ doesn't have Any revenue issues, and has a captive market to pillage. What then is their motivation in improving that product ... If not based on necessity? And while it may serve to improve their image ... M$ has dropped the ball many times before. It may very well go the way of RAV ... and that would sadly eliminate one more competitive product, resulting in bad news for all consumers. Only time will tell.

Three I hope M$ doesn't see this as way to defend some vulnerabilities, rather than patching the problem correctly.

But with that said, the resulting awareness of "Spyware/Malware/Adware" will most certainly benefit us all. I just wish ISP's had more of a roll to play in educating their consumers, as it's not only to their benefit of reducing unnecessary bandwidth usage and server congestion, but all their members infected or not. Considering the price we pay for access, would it really be too costly to provide their users with free solutions (FW/AV/AS), considering the advantages.

Steve

[Mele20]

I think it is horrible that Microsoft is getting into this at all. I don't think it benefits the average Joe. Look at what MS has done regarding the gigantic hole in ICF in XP SP2. That hole, which makes a dial up user's computer totally vulnerable, was not patched for FOUR MONTHS and then on Tuesday Microsoft FINALLY issued a critical patch and DELIBERATELY hid the patch. Evidently Microsoft is highly embarrassed and doesn't want anyone like The Register (which wrote about this issue earlier) to discover what is going on.

This patch, although "critical" is available ONLY if the user has automatic updating turned on. There is NO Technet Security article, no Security Bulletin and if you do a search at Microsoft you cannot find this patch. Many people still use dialup and many broadband users, like myself, frequently use dialup free from their ISP whenever there is work being done on the cable network or when traveling. I use a router to protect me and ICF for when I am on dial up. I am unaffected by this gigantic, stupid hole because I have refused to upgrade my XP Pro to SP2.

Anyhow, after seeing how Microsoft has deliberately hidden a critical security patch, I certainly would never trust Microsoft to do anything good with Giant . I will never upgrade to SP2 because I don't want Microsoft forcing me to use auto updating and they have just demonstrated that you cannot rely any longer on getting information from Technet, from the monthly Security Bulletins, etc. and then manually updating computers. Microsoft has proved itself totally untrustworthy and I cannot imagine how an average user is going to benefit from antispyware that when it has a huge hole in it Microsoft hides that fact and then when it does finally, if ever, issue a patch does not make any public Security Bulletin, announcement, etc. but just sneakily applies the patch ONLY IF you allow Microsoft total control over your computer otherwise the patch is not available to you. How can anyone laud this sort of reprehensible situation?

[Paul Wilders]

Hi Mele

Lets agree to disagree. On a side note: this is about MSoft acquiring GIANT - seems your are addressing MSoft as a concept/OS. There is an alternative available

regards,

paul

[Terryala]

Well no matter the feelings one way or another I hope that the average user will benefit from this purchase. It's like been said many times " you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it" Mircosoft will have to figure out a way for people to use this addition to protect themselves and to me therein lies the problem. Will they use it?

Also you still have Sunbelt the maker of CounterSpy which if I believe correctly was connected to Giant. So I guess if Giant falls by the wayside you still have CounterSpy.

Also if I read right the programers that worked on Giant will go to Microsoft to continue working on Giant.

Just have to see how it all washes out.

Grand Dad

[gre87y]

Having purchased Giant I really dont like this move. I'm hoping they still give updates and dont slip into just updating once a month or something like that.