Questões de Concurso

Microsoft to Offer Free Virus Protection Software for
Windows
By ScottGilbertsonNovember 19, 2008

Microsoft plans to offer Windows users a new antivirus
package designed to protect the OS from viruses, spyware,
rootkits and trojans. The new software is tentatively code-
named Morro, and will be available for free to Windows XP,
Vista and 7 users sometime in the second half of 2009.
The new software will reportedly use very minimal resources,
which means it should work well with older PCs. If fact,
Microsoft says Morro has been specially designed for older
PCs and low-spec machines popular in developing nations. In
addition to its minimal processor demands, Morro has been
developed to use very little bandwidth,making it ideal for those
without broadband connections.
Morro will replace Microsoft's current, paid service, Windows
Live OneCare, which has been available on a subscription
basis for $50 per year.
While a free, antivirus solution that ships withWindows would
be a boon for the average user, it could also mean trouble for
third-party software solutions. Given that a bundled solution
could raise antitrust concerns -and would no doubt see
competitors likeMcAfee and Grisoft reaching for the lawyers-
Microsoftwill be offeringMorro as a separate download.
Assuming Morro can deliver decent security it should be a
welcome free addition to Windows, but we don't suggest
throwing away your third-party software just yet. Antivirus
software suites will likely continue to hold an edge over Morro
by offering additional handy tools - like passwordmanagers,
identity theft protection and browser-based phishing
protection.
Still, if you've been runningWindowswith no antivirus software
at all,Morrowill no doubt be better than nothing, and it's hard to
arguewith free.

Security: UAC Gets Tolerable

Let's talk about User Account Control ? the Windows
Vista security element that was a prominent example for
everything that bothered people about that OS. UAC aimed to
prevent rogue software from tampering with your PC by
endlessly prompting you to approve running applications or
changing settings. The experience was so grating that many
users preferred to turn UAC [PARTICLE] and [VERB] their
chances with Internet attackers. Those who left it active risked
slipping into the habit of incautiously clicking through every
prompt, defeating whatever value the feature might have had.

Whereas Vista's notorious User Account Control gave
users no control over the feature other than to turn it off,
Windows 7's version of UAC lets users choose from two
intermediate notification levels between 'Always notify' and
'Never notify'.

Windows 7 gives you control over UAC, in the form of a
slider containing four security settings. As before, you can
accept the full-blown UAC or elect to disable it. But you can also
tell UAC to notify you only when software changes Windows
settings, not when you're tweaking them yourself. And you can
instruct it not to perform the abrupt screen-dimming effect that
Vista's version uses to grab your attention.

If Microsoft had its druthers, all Windows 7 users [TO
USE] UAC in full-tilt mode: The slider that you use to ratchet
back its severity advises you not to do so if you routinely install
new software or visit unfamiliar sites, and it warns that disabling
the dimming effect is "Not recommended." , Redmond: I
have every intention of recommending the intermediate settings
to most people who ask me for advice, since those settings
retain most of UAC's theoretical value without driving users
bonkers.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html)