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Thread: Zone Alarm sucks! |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 15
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twilyth
Master Cruncher US Joined: Mar 30, 2007 Post Count: 2130 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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According to a PC magazine review in January it's the "Best spyware-blocking app yet." See http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2087467,00.asp Actually, that review merely raises another concern: apparently the antivirus bundled with Zone Alarm is now based on Kaspersky - and Kaspersky has been a source of frequent software conflicts with crunching software. Not that I need another reason not to use it, but maybe this factoid will tip the balance for somebody. In the article, notice also the discrepancy between the editor and reader's rating. I suspect the difference is due to the fact that the techs at PC Mag know what makes a program like ZA "good" and most users don't. They thnk that as long as there's no obvious problem and the software doesn't bother them very often that everything is copacetic. As far as Kaspershy's goes, the article states Kaspersky is a big name in virus protection, with full honors from the independent testing labs. ICSA Labs certifies it for virus detection and removal. West Coast Labs does the same and also gives it checkmark certification for detection of Trojan horses and spyware. Additionally, Kaspersky has received the VB100% award from Virus Bulletin for many years in a row. So I don't think ZA can be criticized for using it. Personally, on my 8 Win XP machines, I've never had a conflict between boinc and either ZA, Spysweeper or Spyware Doctor.   |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Ultimately, one firewall is exactly the same as the next - they just drop packets. It's not complicated. This is why for most people, the built-in Windows Firewall is perfectly sufficient.
The difference is in the exceptions, and the user interface. This is where ZoneAlarm falls down. Twilyth, I think it's sweet that you put faith in magazine reviews, instead of gathering a wider opinion and trying alternatives yourself. I know the kind of people who write magazine reviews, and they don't get the job based on the fairness of their tests or the depth of their technical skills. Heck, my little brother has written articles for mainstream computer magazines. In a magazine you get a single opinion. In this thread, there is a growing number of opinions (not to mention all the people I canvassed to form my own opinion). |
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twilyth
Master Cruncher US Joined: Mar 30, 2007 Post Count: 2130 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Ultimately, one firewall is exactly the same as the next - they just drop packets. It's not complicated. This is why for most people, the built-in Windows Firewall is perfectly sufficient. The difference is in the exceptions, and the user interface. This is where ZoneAlarm falls down. Twilyth, I think it's sweet that you put faith in magazine reviews, instead of gathering a wider opinion and trying alternatives yourself. I know the kind of people who write magazine reviews, and they don't get the job based on the fairness of their tests or the depth of their technical skills. Heck, my little brother has written articles for mainstream computer magazines. In a magazine you get a single opinion. In this thread, there is a growing number of opinions (not to mention all the people I canvassed to form my own opinion). I think it's cute that you would equate PC Magazine with what you're little brother writes - adorable - really. If you have the hubris to think that your casual and superficial evaluation of a software package is on a par with that of tech experts, I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you. Eventually you'll realize that on certain subjects there really are other people out there who know more than you do - as hard as that may be to believe. And btw, PC mag isn't the only publication to give ZA high marks, but I don't intend to waste the rest of the day looking for them. Every person is encouraged to do their own research and use whatever suits them best. The point is that while ZA may have shortcomings, so does every other security suite. That's a far cry from saying that ZA sucks. But if people want to defer to your "expert" opinion - that's fine. It's not like I own stock in the company. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Since you don't know what my little brother writes, you're just trying to be rude. So, I'm going to terminate this discussion right here, before it goes down hill.
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twilyth
Master Cruncher US Joined: Mar 30, 2007 Post Count: 2130 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Since you don't know what my little brother writes, you're just trying to be rude. So, I'm going to terminate this discussion right here, before it goes down hill. You're the one who wrote I know the kind of people who write magazine reviews, and they don't get the job based on the fairness of their tests or the depth of their technical skills. Heck, my little brother has written articles for mainstream computer magazines. That sounded pejorative to me. Maybe you should have been clearer. And anyone who starts a thread titled "xxxx sucks" is the one who's trying to create a controversy. But if you don't want to respond on the merits, that fine - I understand. |
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