CounterSpy free?

I read from an old thread that CounterSpy has a free version? I went to their site, I found no such thing. Am I blind or is it obtainable by some other means? Or does it exist at all? Thanks.

 

I don't recall seeing that anywhere. In addition, here is a post from the head of Sunbelt that basically says there's were no plans to go in that direction at the time the post was made.

Blue

 

I could dig it up if you'd like, but if you say there's no such thing I'll believe you.

 

There was an article on the upcoming (at the time) MS Anti-Spyware that brought up CounterSpy and suggested they would release a free version. It turned out that info was incorrect, which is what that post was about. Too bad, but I can't say I blame them..

 

I do recall that comment. There's no knowing whether they will go in that direction sometime in the future. After all, providing a slightly disabled version of a product can be an effective way to get users prolonged exposure to an application and serve as an effective tickler towards the purchase of the full version.

It will be interesting to see what direction Counterspy follows in the future, it clearly has an excellent pedigree. If I didn't already own the original Giant Antispyware, it is an application that I would purchase today. I try to keep tabs on it as it solidifies it's position as a distinct entity. If it becomes sufficiently distinct in the near future, it is a program I'd buy.

Blue

 

There are two issues which would prevent me from considering a purchase of CounterSpy:

1. It is subject to a very large number of False Positives (FPs). This is not only my own observation (from empirical testing), but also that of others - you will find many reports of this in many places on the 'net. Spyware, given its primarily commercial motivation (unlike viruses, spyware is designed to improve the fiancial bottom line of its perpetrators) is generally much more sophisticated than other types of malware in the way it installs itself, hides itself, and resists removal.

If falsely-identified spyware traces are removed by a user (usually on the recommendation of the Anti-Spyware program itself) it can often quickly result in inoperable applications, or indeed a trashed system. The technical expertise needed of users to interpret the results of a spyware scan is generally much higher than that needed to deal with the results of a virus scan, say. IMO, therefore, FPs in anti-spyware programs are much more of a danger to users, and CounterSpy's guilt in this respect discounts it as a useable product in my eyes.

It seems to me that Sunbelt play the numbers game with CounterSpy - just read the follow-up e-mails that Sunbelt send you after you download CounterSpy for evaluation as an example. I would rather see them stop this practice and concentrate on quality rather than quantity.

2. Given Microsoft's acquisition of Giant, and the joint pedigree of CounterSpy and MS AntiSpyware (MSAS), then unless Sunbelt positions CounterSpy differently to MSAS in the market there is IMO no choice between the products: given the hugely bigger customer base that MSAS will achieve (read: already has achieved), MSAS will always over time have the more extensive and comprehensive definition database, and thereby a more effective product (provided, of course, that MS don't fall into the same trap as Sunbelt re quailty vs. quantity - the early signs from the MSAS beta are positive in this respect).

It behoves Sunbelt, therefore, to distinguish CounterSpy by other means: for instance Sunbelt has muted the prospect that it will add Firefox (and maybe other browser) support to CounterSpy in time. This is something that MS are unlikely to do with MSAS, I suspect.