Is installing Norton Antivirus worth it?

[homer]

Well, in 4.5 years of owning Macs, I've never used antivirus software (at least any up to date software--I had Disinfectant on my old machine, but it was way out of date). I'm now thinking of installing Norton Antivirus. Given that, a) I've never had any virus problems on my Macs, and B) antivirus software can have a noticeable effect on performance, I've heard, is it worth installing it? For those of you who have NAV, does it reduce performance?

Any and all comments will be appreciated!

[rman]

I too, am wondering about virus detection software. During the many years of working in an unix environment, I have never run across a virus. Most of the attacks in an unix environment, is to gain root access.

[genghiscohen]

IMO, NAV is not worth it. Get an antivirus program like Virex that will also catch Windoze viruses. Not that our Macs can be hurt by them, but we can be unknowing "carriers" and spread the viruses to more Windoze boxen.

[TrappedOnEarth]

I never used Norton Anti-Virus on the Mac. Though I had friends and associates that used them and I have found them to be too intrusive... Well this is going back some odd years now. I honestly haven't seen it is action recently on a Mac. You also had to make sure you turned off the protection before installing stuff, etc. While on the other hand, I have been using Virex for years and never had a problem and for the most part, never had to turn it off much (in the Classic OS days). Now I am on Mac OS X and still use Virex (though I don't think it is running in the background all the time as it did with the Classic OS).

For my needs, and the needs of the Mac, I think something like Virex is really all one needs. In the dozen or so years I have been working on the Mac platform, there have only been one time which a virus came my way and my virus protection software did catch it. It was a harmless one, but a virus nonetheless. It was carried over via a Zip disk (a disk had an ad that went to press in a national magazine, it was returned to me with a virus on it. I cleaned the disk of the virus and alerted the magazine publisher that they system had a virus infection).

In over 20 years, I never seen a virus come through via the Internet or any online activity. Mind you, this is my personal history using non-Windows machines.

For PC users, it is a must. In the office where I work, there are PCs, we have Norton's Anti-Virus software on them and they seem to do the trick. They charge you an annual fee for the virus definition updates, although modest in cost, I am used to getting them free with Virex on the Mac side.

[homer]

NAV is provided by my school for free, otherwise I wouldn't even be considering it. I think I'll continue to live dangerously (?!) and not run it. I just love it when a virus is delivered to my inbox and it does absolutely nothing. Hoowah! :clap: Maybe if I could acquire Virex, legally and at no cost, I'd install it.

Thanks for your comments, folks!

PS. You wouldn't catch me dead on a Windows machine without AV software. :roll:

[dricci]

I use Virex 7.2 that came with my .Mac account. Even that's kinda pointless, though as there are no known Mac OS X viruses.

I'd avoid installing anything that says "Norton" like the plague, at least on OS X.

[TheAppleDoctor]

Quote:

TrappedOnEarth wrote:For PC users, it is a must.

ABSOLUTELY

Quote:

In the office where I work, there are PCs, we have Norton's Anti-Virus software on them and they seem to do the trick. They charge you an annual fee for the virus definition updates,

Or you can use their Intelligent Updater without having to renew. The bigger benefit to doing it that way, though, is daily updates are available, which has already saved our butts (my wife's Dell, but somehow I'm her 'IT guy' - since even though I hate Windows, I love her) from both NIMDA and Slammer. The weekly auto-update would have been too late, as both times the viruses showed up and were blocked the morning they were announced.