As others have already responded, ZoneAlarm has been a standard for firewall s/w for Windows PCs for a long time now. I've used it on my PCs for a long time now.

This is pretty cool to get a year license for their Anti-Spyware product. I'll have to pit it against SpyBot and Yahoo AntiSpy (which are the two I use on my XP VM under Fusion.

chillywilly

The site is re-directing, but their servers are flooded, so no joy for a bit.

Also, to all those saying "anti-virus software", please read the article or check the link. It is a free copy of ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware, not anti-virus software.

Koskun

@dead_red_eyes: It was a joke, regarding OMG-PONIES and Skylab's dialogue. A boring joke, but still...
Now to increase the silliness of our conversation regarding personal messages, post another public comment directed to me! ;)

t1t0

@t1t0:

Um, all you have to do is click on a persons profile and either email them or post a comment.

dead_red_eyes

Gizmodo should have the possibility to send personal messages.

t1t0

@SkyLab: I open the ones from people I don't know first. It's like Secret Santa everyday. I also forward every chain letter I get.

I think the emails with "Hey" in the title are wonderful. The "hey" is a real attention-getter, like a pal coming up and saying "Hey, how ya doin'?" And the emails with the symbols in the title are super-swell. It's like getting a text message in my email box.

omg-ponies

@OMG-PONIES: Sure. The attachments are perfectly safe. Especially those from people you don't know. I find they are the fun ones. And don't get me started on the messages with all those symbols in the title and stuff. My nips are stiffening as we speak!

SkyLab

@SkyLab: So then I shouldn't be opening all those attachments?

BTW: I love how after Apple put out an ad making fun of the security warnings on Vista, every time I go to launch a downloaded application for the first time, Leopard asks me if I'm sure.

omg-ponies

@OMG-PONIES: Yeah. You keep believing that. I'm glad you don't have me on your contact list anywhere.

SkyLab

@nutbastard: ZoneAlarm was one of the better ones out there... four years ago. I think I switched to it after I got fed up with BlackIce.

Antivirus is irrelevant for me now - I'm on Mac. It presents too small and hard a target to be worth the trouble.

omg-ponies

ZoneAlarm is one of the best products on the market. I've used it for years now, having tested out many other software packages. If I couldn't get my hands on ZoneAlarm, then I would go with my second favorite, Eset's NOD32 Security package. Ever heard of THEM?

Blithering

@Ph30nix: add a resounding *Sigh* to that.

Ph30nix

Too bad it doesn't work with vista...vista FTL(again...)

Ph30nix

You've never heard of Zonealarm, what rock have you been under the past ten years??

lburgguy

whats that? free antivirus software from some company i've never heard of that i can hand my registry and all other critical security functions over to? oh yeah. sign me up. : \

nutbastard

Thanks Giz!

whiteknight

@nutbastard: Um, you're not a computer geek, are you? I've been using Zonealarm since 1999, the product is solid and reliable.

luckypictures