I Would Like MY Computer to SMELL Like a Yeti...
You've seen the commercial. How could you not?
"I would like my computer to sound like a Yeti! Aaaarrggghlllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!"
Yes, that's about what I expect would happen should you ever decide that A*L is the right online service for you. Your computer will scream like a dying Yeti and attempt to spit the disc back out as you cram it down the poor beast's throat.
Anyway ... the point of their commercial is that they now offer anti-virus software for their users. Bravo! Err, except most A*L users are newbies who just purchased their computer and already have anti-virus software installed. So A*L can pat itself on the back on a national forum for giving users something they already have - though perhaps don't know they have. Which brings me to:
What will happen to the anti-virus software A*L passes out?
The software is a "separate download." It would go miles to solving the problem if they would make the software install as part of the package, but then again, they would be better served to build their product around a secure browser like Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, so that just goes to show where the mindset of the company is -- $$$$.
In my experience, most new Internet users - especially those coddled by A*L's "pretty picture" window to the Internet - have little idea how to download and install software. This is not a slam on newbies so much as a commentary on how little effort is put into training people the right way to work with their computers. Companies like A*L have the responsibility to teach their users the right way to use their service - especially for $25/month. Computers are not toasters. They're closer to cars in that they are extremely complex pieces of machinery that need to be cleaned, updated and used properly to get the most enjoyment out of them.
So here is my prediction as to what will happen to A*L's anti-virus software:
25% of their users will not be able to download it. Period.
20% of their users will somehow actually get the thing downloaded but then forget where they saved it. I've seen this happen more times that you'd think!
25% of their users will uninstall (read: "I just deleted the directory"-grrr!) the software because they don't like the look of the tray icon.
20% of their users will just click "continue using file anyway" whenever the anti-virus software warns them what they're about to do will be dangerous and destroy every file on their computer -- possibly even making it sound like a Yeti.
9% of their users will freeze at any warnings they get, shut down their computer, lock it in a closet with "666" painted on the door and never use it again. (Perhaps they're smarter than I give 'em credit for.)
1% of their users will NOT install the A*L anti-virus software, buy Frisk F-prot or Norton Anti-Virus instead, drop A*L as a provider, banish Internet Explorer from their computer in favor of Firefox, realize that's merely a round-about way of taking care of the real problem and buy a Mac instead.
Those are the SMART A*L users ... oh, wait ... they're not users anymore!
"I would like my computer to sound like a Yeti! Aaaarrggghlllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!"
Yes, that's about what I expect would happen should you ever decide that A*L is the right online service for you. Your computer will scream like a dying Yeti and attempt to spit the disc back out as you cram it down the poor beast's throat.
Anyway ... the point of their commercial is that they now offer anti-virus software for their users. Bravo! Err, except most A*L users are newbies who just purchased their computer and already have anti-virus software installed. So A*L can pat itself on the back on a national forum for giving users something they already have - though perhaps don't know they have. Which brings me to:
What will happen to the anti-virus software A*L passes out?
The software is a "separate download." It would go miles to solving the problem if they would make the software install as part of the package, but then again, they would be better served to build their product around a secure browser like Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, so that just goes to show where the mindset of the company is -- $$$$.
In my experience, most new Internet users - especially those coddled by A*L's "pretty picture" window to the Internet - have little idea how to download and install software. This is not a slam on newbies so much as a commentary on how little effort is put into training people the right way to work with their computers. Companies like A*L have the responsibility to teach their users the right way to use their service - especially for $25/month. Computers are not toasters. They're closer to cars in that they are extremely complex pieces of machinery that need to be cleaned, updated and used properly to get the most enjoyment out of them.
So here is my prediction as to what will happen to A*L's anti-virus software:
25% of their users will not be able to download it. Period.
20% of their users will somehow actually get the thing downloaded but then forget where they saved it. I've seen this happen more times that you'd think!
End USER: "I need help with this file I downloaded."
ME: "So you downloaded the file ... where did you download it to? You know, where did you save it?"
End USER: "Ummm, I don't know."
ME: "But it asked you where you wanted to save it. What folder did you pick?"
End USER: "I just hit enter. How am I supposed to know where it saved it?"
ME: "AAAARRRRRGGGH!"
25% of their users will uninstall (read: "I just deleted the directory"-grrr!) the software because they don't like the look of the tray icon.
20% of their users will just click "continue using file anyway" whenever the anti-virus software warns them what they're about to do will be dangerous and destroy every file on their computer -- possibly even making it sound like a Yeti.
9% of their users will freeze at any warnings they get, shut down their computer, lock it in a closet with "666" painted on the door and never use it again. (Perhaps they're smarter than I give 'em credit for.)
1% of their users will NOT install the A*L anti-virus software, buy Frisk F-prot or Norton Anti-Virus instead, drop A*L as a provider, banish Internet Explorer from their computer in favor of Firefox, realize that's merely a round-about way of taking care of the real problem and buy a Mac instead.
Those are the SMART A*L users ... oh, wait ... they're not users anymore!
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