One of the best ideas I've had since I started the GripeLog was the poll I ran a year ago asking which antivirus software vendor readers trust the most. So why has it taken me until now to follow up on my promise to do it again, adding those vendors that readers felt shouldn't have been left out of the first one? And why do I suspect -- hope, even -- that this second annual GripeLog AntiVirus Poll will be the last?
Online discussions on the GripeLog often turn to the question of which product alternatives exist for the subject of that day's gripe. And, with all the Symantec and McAfee gripes, that has always been particularly the case with anti-virus software, which is why we asked readers to name their favorite last year. And today we're asking the same question: which antivirus vendor do you trust the most?
The list has grown from last year because several vendors with many fans were left off last time. So the choices now are are Computer Associates eTrust, Clam AV, Eset NOD32, Frisk F-Prot, F-Secure, Grisoft AVG, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norman, Panda, Sophos, Symantec, and Trend Micro. Come to my webpage and find the poll in the right-hand column to cast your vote and see how other readers are voting. And please post your comments about why you voted the way you did, and which deserving vendors I left off this time. Hey, I only know if you tell me.
And there are quite a few other product categories where it would be nice to learn more about alternatives to the more prominent vendors. Anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewalls, laptops and routers are just some of the ones readers have suggested. But I think to do a good job of exploring such categories we need a different mechanism than a poll.
The GripeLog polls are fun to do and readers seem to enjoy them. And sometimes the results can lead to some interesting insights as long as everyone realizes they aren't scientific and are obviously skewed by the tastes of my very picky readership. But, as with all the GripeLog polls, the real value of the antivirus poll came from the discussion it generated. Readers gave details about why they liked or disliked certain products, they suggested additional products to add to the list people might want to consider, and they provided some perspective on which products are best for which kind of purpose.
When you're looking for an alternative product in any category, the hardest part is understanding the playing field. A freeware product might have legions of fans, but it might not have the enterprise capabilities you need. A product that's popular with the Windows crowd might have a Linux version that's completely dysfunctional. The only way for a poll to begin to provide the sense of what fits where is to split it into ten polls. And who's going to do that?
A few weeks ago we heard some of the comments from readers about how they would like to see the GripeLog have more structure so that the content is more accessible when you're looking for information on a particular product, vendor, or issue. Polls obviously aren't the answer in that regard. So vote for your favorite antivirus vendor this week, and then next week we'll talk about what appears to be the logical way to do it.
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