Symantec sticks Microsoft with law suit...

Trying to halt Vista...

Published on May 19, 2006 By RPGFX In Microsoft

Article Link

An aritcle on www.pcworld.com talks about Symantec suing Mircosoft to stop development of Vista...

Comments (Page 3)

starkers

on May 23, 2006

How can you tell the difference?

The delays or the sniveling?

Delays....that'd be MS trying to release a stable/functional OS

Sniveling....that'd be the complainant (in this case) whining about future lost business.

Given Symantec's propensity to trash people's systems....seems they're doing a good enough job without MS contributing there.

Seems they're all at it!! Creative and Apple are also in court over a portable music technologies dispute....http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2156532/apple-countersues-creative.

Adamness

on May 23, 2006

Hah the Apple/Creative dispute is a lot more interesting. The way I see it, Apple created the UI for the iPod, but never got a patent for it. Creative, uh, got 'inspired' by the Apple UI, and created their own version and did get a patent. So now Creative can sue Apple.

This'll learn ya' for tha next time Apple!

seldomseen

on May 23, 2006

little-known art of self-defense: AHSUYOU!

little-known art of retaliation: SASUMI!

starkers

on May 23, 2006

little-known art of self-defense: AHSUYOU!

little-known art of retaliation: SASUMI!

LOL....good description, very apt anim....tryin' ta beat the crap out of eachother sums it up pretty well

seldomseen

on May 23, 2006

speedy5662

on May 25, 2006

Researchers: Antivirus Software Has Flaw

By TED BRIDIS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Symantec Corp. (SYMC)'s leading antivirus software, which protects some of the world's largest corporations and U.S. government agencies, suffers from a flaw that lets hackers seize control of computers to steal sensitive data, delete files or implant malicious programs, researchers said Thursday.

Symantec said it was investigating the issue but could not immediately corroborate the vulnerability. If confirmed, the threat to computer users would be severe because the security software is so widely used, and because no action is required by victims using the latest versions of Norton Antivirus to suffer a crippling attack over the Internet.

Symantec has boasted its antivirus products are installed on more than 200 million computers. A spokesman, Mike Bradshaw, said the company was examining the reported flaw but described it as "so new that we don't have any details."

Researchers from eEye Digital Security Inc. of Aliso Viejo, Calif., discovered the vulnerability and provided evidence to Symantec engineers this week, said eEye's chief hacking officer, Marc Maiffret. He demonstrated the attack for The Associated Press.

Maiffret's company - which has discovered hundreds of similar flaws in other software products - also produces intrusion-protection software, called "Blink," that he said already blocks such attacks and can operate alongside Symantec's antivirus products.

Maiffret published a note about the company's discovery on its Web site but pledged not to reveal details publicly that would help hackers attack Internet users until after Symantec repairs its antivirus software. eEye said it intends to describe the problem in detail privately for some of its largest customers.

"People shouldn't panic," Maiffret said. "There shouldn't be any exploits until a patch is produced."

The reported flaw comes at an awkward time for Symantec. Its chief executive, John Thompson, has campaigned in recent months to convince consumers they should trust Symantec - not Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - to protect their personal information.

Maiffret said eEye's testing showed the problem affects Norton Antivirus Version 10, including its corporate editions. He said Symantec's current security suite - which includes both antivirus and firewall features - did not appear to be vulnerable.

Speedy

P.S.
Theres The truth!!!

joeKnowledge

on May 25, 2006

well... interesting, now isnt't it?

I think this and other stuff will delay Vista until late Summer 2007 if that.

starkers

on May 25, 2006

The reported flaw comes at an awkward time for Symantec. Its chief executive, John Thompson, has campaigned in recent months to convince consumers they should trust Symantec - not Microsoft Corp.

Awwwww....poor Symantec! I'm glad it has come at at awkward time for them....trying to sabotage 'probably' the most important release of Windows to date.

As for Symantec convincing users to trust them over MS, they're not going to do that with the multitude who've had their systems slushed up by resource hogging, invasive software that breaks BITS and much more.

Furthermore, if Symantec has any regard for its customers, it needs to clean up its act with regards to customer relations, technical support....to resolve the communication/language barriers with the majority of users not being able to understand tech support staff. It's not the fault of the Indian or Pakistani workers, but that of Symantec....they should have envisaged such issues and taken more appropriate steps for consumers to begin with.

Since my discontinuing the use of NAV/NIS, and my sister having issues with it, all my PC using family members and various friends have switched to other products, so Symantec's market share is diminishing, if somewhat slowly, and I doubt they'll get too much sympathy or support with their claim against MS from similarly dissatisfied people worldwide.

seldomseen

on May 26, 2006

needs to clean up its act with regards to customer relations, technical support....to resolve the communication/language barriers with the majority of users not being able to understand tech support staff. It's not the fault of the Indian or Pakistani workers, but that of Symantec....they should have envisaged such issues and taken more appropriate steps for consumers to begin with.

Well said!

We are, after all, a global community. I once got a call center in Delhi, couldn't understand quite, had to switch to "street" Urdu I'd picked up there, and issue was resolved...tech was very knowledgeable, just not fluent. Appropriate steps in this case being English fluency at an Engl.-language redirect.

starkers

on May 26, 2006

Furthermore, without MS OSes, Symantec would be a security software manufacturer/ developer with few or no places to go....seems insane Symantec would bite the hand....

Despite the security measures being built into Vista, there will be users who prefer to remain with Norton/Symantec.....those who cannot afford Vista....those whose machines cannot accomodate Vista, can't afford to upgrade.

Seems to me, given worldwide anticipation of Vista, Symantec will lose supporters with this law suit against MS....biting the hand...disillusioning consumers who await Vista with bated breath.

Vailene

on May 28, 2006

Microsoft will more than likely lose.. And then not oppose. I don't think they care much for stuff like this and challenging it, even if unfair.

Either way, Symantec software is horrible, buggy and conflicting as heck with any windows version.

Good thing I use Computer Associates as recommended by someone on WinCustomize.com long ago when I was looking for an alternative to Symantec software.

MasonM

on May 28, 2006

It's tough for me to decide who to root for here as I despise both of them.

Jafo

on May 29, 2006

It's tough for me to decide who to root for here as I despise both of them.

It ain't 'tough' for me. The 'Win' in 'Wincustomize' stands for 'Windows' aka Microsoft's OS [plural].

It's quite pointless to 'despise' the provider of the [vast majority of] Operating Systems in use, but, on the other hand it's not all that 'difficult' to 'point the bone' at Symantec when the latter's record is somewhat less than exemplary. It seems NAV can do as much to harm a machine as to help it...

starkers

on May 29, 2006

Microsoft will more than likely lose..

I certainly hope not....MS is by far the lesser of two evils, looking at it from a software perspective.

Ms seems to be trying to do the right thing in producing a stable, functional and more pleasing to the eye OS with Vista, whereas Symantec throws out lines of buggy code that's far too invasive and frequently detrimental to users machines.

My bread's best buttered with MS products, as opposed to Symantec's, so IF the latter wins this one, I sincerely hope the world boycotts their products in protest of the Vista interference and NAV/NIS, etc, get flushed into the sewers where they belong.

starkers

on May 31, 2006

Just thought I'd add a couple more links to articles on the subject....

It seems some industry analysts think Symantec is punching above its weight in taking on the world's software leader...that MS's entry into the security market could spell Armageddon for some PC security companies.

In other words, Symantec's chances are like those of a snowball's in Hell.

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4379/53/

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4479/53/

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