Welcome to this week's Community Scoop! With Vista and Office 2007 on the horizon, there continue to be lots of discussions about Microsoft's products and policies.
But before we get started on Microsoft, let's look at another controversy. Both McAfee and Symantec are releasing new security suites in 2007, and the comments on our review were overwhelmingly anti-McAfee.
You asked, and Microsoft listened: Changes have been made to the Vista license transfer policy. The retail license terms for Vista have been changed so that you now may uninstall the OS from one machine and install it on another as many times as you want. Some of you still have concerns about the policy, and for others it is just too little, too late.
As if limiting Vista license transfers wasn't enough, it seems that the Vista EULA also limits the benchmarking that can be published. Some say that this is a big deal, and others say it doesn't really matter.
What about Microsoft's Office 2007? It is code-complete and on the way. Will you upgrade when it arrives? Take our poll, and then comment to tell us what you'd like to see us test when we examine it for review.
We finish with product reviews by members like you. Reviews are very helpful to others who are considering making a purchase or putting software on their computer, so please write a review for the products and services you use.
Thanks for reading, and for making the PC World community a better place with your opinions and comments.
Note: To use our interactive features, such as adding comments to discussions, voting in the weekly poll, and contributing your own product reviews, you must be signed in to PCWorld.com. (Not registered? You can sign up online.) However, you can view the discussion threads and poll results without being signed in.
First Look: McAfee Internet Security 2007 and Symantec Internet Security 2007
acurban says: McAfee v11 "upgrade sucks! I was a McAfee user for several years and they forced a horrible upgrade on customers that completely screwed my PC up. I recommend you bypass the latest mess McAfee has forced out as a beta program in disguise.
soaraway says: As a ten-year user of McAfee products until this version of garbage was forced on me, [I say] stay away from this company. Why should you pay for a virus that takes over your machine? This company does not care about customer (dis)satisfaction.
madler says: I got McAfee with my laptop. Ever since the three-month free update period ended I have been inundated with pop-ups and warnings "reminding" me to renew for a ridiculous price. I can't get rid of these annoying pop-ups without deleting the entire security suite. Since I want to keep using the firewall but can't remove the other McAfee applications individually I have decided to live with it until I purchase the Symantec solution. I will definitely not buy a McAfee product because of this obnoxious behavior.
bmwboy says: The bloat returns.
Which do you think will be the best? Read all the posts in this thread and contribute your own opinion.
Pressure Forces Microsoft to Change Vista Licensing
zorvan says: So what about if your hard drive fails or the OS crashes? How do you "uninstall" if you can't access it? I'm sorry; I still see a problem here.
soren says: The fact that they tried it is atrocious/ridiculous and should not be forgotten.
ace38 says: As far as I know, it's always read that you must "uninstall" before transferring in every single version of Windows. I'm thinking much more that this was all a gimmick from Microsoft to gauge community reaction, giving them some kind of estimate of how many copies of Vista are going to move on that first day.
jjamez says: Note that they are only changing the retail version of Vista and not the OEM version of Vista. This means if you buy a name-brand computer or a custom-built machine, you will have an OEM version and thereby not be able to reinstall your OS. This also holds true for reactivations after a hard drive or motherboard change/crash on an OEM-built system. Bleh!
What do you think about the revised policy? Read all the posts in this thread and contribute your own opinion.
Vista License Limits Benchmarks
TheBigOldDog says: They just keep adding barriers that encourage defections. It's so contrary to the way their dominance was built; it defies all logic. My days of defending Microsoft ended with the sneaky WGA being pushed out as a "critical" update.
fishndaddy says: Microsoft thinks that with all its new limits it will help prevent piracy, but I see a time to come that all it will do is make the wrong people mad--then they will really see what piracy is.
jcurrin says: Microsoft is digging a hole for themselves. The funny part about it is that they really think Vista is going to be so invincible that people won't have to reinstall because of viruses and other pests. This is foolish. Bill Gates expects you to pay over $200 for something you can install only twice.
keith1 says: I don't know what all the excitement is about. Microsoft seems to be under the impression that they can put anything in their EULA they like and that makes it the law and we all have to abide by it. What rubbish. Microsoft has no power to make laws or regulate the free market. Just ignore it; it's all just marketing hype anyway. One of the best ways to advertise a product or stir up interest in it is to create a controversy.
What do you think? Read all the posts in this thread and contribute your own opinion.
Community Poll
Will you upgrade to Office 2007 when it's available?
- Yes, right away!
- Yes, but I'll wait a little while first
- Maybe, I'll see how the reviews are first
- No, I won't upgrade unless I have to
- No, I don't use Office
- Other (please post to tell us)
Vote now in the PC World Forums.
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