Why pay for Windows security, asks Washington Post?

If Windows needs security software, why do we have to pay for it, asks Rob Pegoraro in the Washington Post?

Proprietary brands of anti-virus software, such as Symantec and McAfee, are the norm for most Windows users. Yet, they often pose more problems than they solve because of their complexity. And at $50-$70 they represent a significant cost for the user.

Now, writes Pegoraro, “they face competition from Microsoft, which last year added effective firewall protection to Windows XP with its Service Pack 2 update and has since released a surprisingly good (though still in beta test) anti-spyware tool. … Most important, the latest McAfee and Symantec suites just don’t work all that well.”

If you’re running Windows XP, you’re better off sticking with the firewall built into SP2, then downloading Microsoft’s AntiSpyware and using a mail program with a built-in spam filter, such as Microsoft’s Outlook 2003, Qualcomm’s Eudora or the free Thunderbird. Then run whatever antivirus program came with your machine.