I support companies that are doing something interesting that I want to encourage and add some features in their paid version that I find valuable. I avoid free software where the aggravation is more than the value.
When I do pay for a product I do it the direct way, by purchasing a license for a pro or full version.
i consider this as only security software poll , so i use only free ones which archive even better results than the paid ones ... so if they want my money they need to improved at least twice as the free ones!
The poll is missing a few important choices *Support *More features than the freebie versions offer *More confidence in stability and compatibility *For business environments, usually using free products is against their TOS
I can't vote because their isn't an option in the poll for my reason. I pay for my security products because the ones I use don't have a free version. And why do I use the products I have? well that's another discussion for another thread.
This should be an interesting poll. I do wonder why people pay for security software when there's so many free alternatives that do the juob just as well. In fact I wonder why people pay for any software full stop. ssj100, you should add the option - I got conned into paying for Norton by PCWorld when I bought my overpriced Vista machine.
I don't know if this is like an old saying or something like that, but, I always believed that if, for certain things, you wish quality, then you have to pay for it. I use both free and paid products. If there are free products as good as the paid ones, then I'll use them. It would be insane not to. But, if the free products, somehow, failed to be of quality, I'll stop using them, and I'll pay for the alternative, after testing it, of course. All that is free is not of bad quality, and all that is paid is not of great quality.
Well I don't normally pay for security apps Avira 9 that i m using has promotional key so i will be using it as long as the key doesn't expire !!! As such piracy is still not over
I do not, I do not see why to pay for useless software since PC is secure enough without them, I use freeware just to sleep a little better due to internetbanking.
How about in a business environment? Since the user didn't specify "personal home use"...or in an office, small business, enterprise, etc. How about antivirus/antiphishing/antispam products for mail server..such as MS Exchange or Lotus Notes? Those are techincally security products, there are not many "good" free ones out there. And since uptime and reliability is "usually" a concern in a business environment..it's usually desired, by most people, to use products that have real support. How many free ones cover all this? How about that edge device/firewall you run your network behind at the office? (that's technically a security product thus in the realm of this post) Wouldn't you want support for that so if you're having an issue on something...you can call and receive fast effective support so your business can move ahead and use it? Mission critical services need fast effective support, something that's hard to find on freebie stuff. For those people who use freebie products like Avast or AVG Free or Avira...in a business network on multiple machines, you know that's against most of their rules? Here's copy 'n paste from Aviras website "designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users, for personal use only, and is not for business or commercial use."
Hello, to support the company for ongoing devolopment. Kasperky labs always respond to my emails for fixing fp's and real malware. I got a free license for prevx ages ago from a nice member from wilders. i started using it last week and its great. the staff are great to and fixed a fp for me very quickly. im definatly willing to pay for that kind of service.
Must be the ones from this thread. I see no reason to purchase security software when the available freeware is more than good enough. The one exception I might make is SandBoxie. I'm quite impressed with its ability to isolate the attack surface and am considering making it a permanent addition to my core package. I can't honestly say that I need it as my setup is well secured without it. Still need to work with it some more before I decide. The only other security software I would have paid for is SSM, but my beta tester license made that unnecessary.
I chose "To support the company for ongoing development". Once or twice I paid and later wished I hadn't. I see some people actually keep the software (that they dislike) on their machines just because they paid for it. That's not for me. The two I paid for then became unhappy with, I could not wait to get them off my HD. Mostly I select the software regardless of whether it is free or costs money. Free, of course, is great. But paying is not a problem if that is what is required to get what I want. A couple of times I have sent in donations for freeware that I continue to use and I would feel guilty if I didn't send them something. Two programs come to mind that I have sent in multiple donations for each one over the years... not a big amount, but sort of like a renewal fee. I think we should support developers whenever possible if they have produced good software. Free software is a blessing that ironically seems to balance out the ones we paid for and ended up removing.
I think a lot of money is wasted on unnecessary and bloated security products/suites, driven by the fear factor plus the failure of many users to do their homework. I use mostly free programs (CIS firewall with D+, Windows Defender, SpywareBlaster, MVPS Hosts file, MBAM, BOClean, WOT, OpenDNS) but I choose to pay for 2: my Antivirus, and WinPatrol PLUS. In the case of my AV, I tried all the recommended freebies, but got tired of the occasional server overloads that delayed updates. With the best paid AVs, you get priority access to dedicated servers, paid support, and other features. More importantly, all the independent AV test sites I trust (av-comparatives, VirusBulletin, AV-Test) actually only test the paid versions, and one cannot be sure the results apply to the free counterparts (apart from on-demand scan detections). So after checking the track record of the best paid AVs over the past few years, and trialling a couple, I chose what worked best for me. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee per week at Starbucks, it seemed a prudent investment. As for WinPatrol PLUS, I think I paid only about $15 (a one-time payment) to support the author (Bill P, one of the most ethical out there) and found the extra features well worth the modest payment.
Thing is... I will use the free product to get a feel for the company and then eventually remove it or buy the full version... I also tend to pay for shareware as well... I find that monetary support is an encouragement to produce better versions... when a company starts moving away from a better product or doesn't keep up with the times, I move away from them and stop supporting them... You would also be surprised at some of the return comments provided by those that want postcards from different places in return for use of their product... even to the point of getting clued into some neat utilities... Yeah... there are some great free products available right now... but I find it so much better when they have an incentive to work for ME rather than loading some toolbar to gain a little money... so I am more than willing to support those companies that produce products I like... Regards - -Bob
That depends on what they run as their line of business software. Unfortunately this means, for businesses, their choice of using linux is slashed quite a bit....pretty much nil. Look at the selection of line of business software for: Law Firms HealthCare firms Nursing Agencies Nursing Homes Doctors offices/Medical Specialist offices Dentist offices Accounting firms Electric Companies, plumbing companies, various contracting Construction Companies, Architect firms Resorts/Clubs Foundations Oil Supply Companies Real Estate agencies That's just a quick 1 minutes list of some categories of small business clients that I take care of....they run fairly standardized line of business software that is based on Windows. The only clients of mine that I've seen a few PCs running *nix and some apps based on *nix, A Theater...ticketing software A metal fabrication business A rubbish hauling company
I don't really want to bogged down in a discussion about Linux in the Business world. I assume the OP was refering to home use only and on that basis I see no need to pay for security software at all. Whether people want to or not for whatever reason is up to them, but they certainly don't need to. There are enough free choices out there.
