| Norton Internet Security | |
|---|---|
 Norton Internet Security 2008 running in Windows Vista |
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| Developer | Symantec Corporation |
| Latest release | 2008 or 15.0.0.60 (Windows Edition), 3.0 (Mac Edition) / August 28, 2007 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Symantec.com |
Norton Internet Security (NIS) is a computer utility suite made by Symantec Corporation, with a focus on providing comprehensive Internet protection. It is available for both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is one of Symantec's flagship products.
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Version history
Version 2006 and previous
Internet Explorer 7 incompatibilities
Along with the release of Windows Internet Explorer 7, the main GUI of Norton Internet Security 2006 and previous versions have encountered several scripting errors. The current version of Norton Internet Security, however, fully supports IE7 as it does not use IE anymore. Its UI is now based on HTMLayout engine. Because the GUI of versions prior 2007 was built using Internet Explorer's web interface (instead of using the standard GUI libraries), any changes to it will result in failure in Norton Software. How this affects the AntiVirus & Firewall so far is unknown however there are several resolutions available. One is to upgrade to NIS2007 supplied for free by Norton Support. The impact of forcing users to install this newer version on older computers will most likely result in system slowdown, something Norton has once again been criticized on. MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) has a discussion thread on how to resolve this issue..
Version 2007 (14.0)
After many years of customer complaints regarding the speed and system utilization of the product, Symantec responded in 2007 with a much needed rewrite of the code to make the product lighter and faster, although it still uses more disk space than competitors and is frequently a source of severe system performance issues.[1]
Version 2008 (15.0)
The 2008 version was released on August 28, 2007. It has several new features including SONAR (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) technology, Browser Defender (Internet Explorer Exploit Protection) and Norton Identity Safe. Shortly after NIS 2008 was released, Symantec released a 2008 add-on package. This is essentially the same path Symantec took with the 2007 product line; the 2008 package adds features such as anti-spam and parental controls. Notably, the 2008 package does not include the ad blocking and pop-up blocking features that were included in the 2007 add-on package.
Included software
On both platforms, Norton Internet Security is a combination of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Personal Firewall. In an optional add-on package which can be downloaded from the official website, the Windows version adds Norton AntiSpam, while the Mac OS version adds Allume Systems' iClean, providing many of the same features. The 2007 add-on package also included parental controls, privacy controls, pop-up blocking, and ad blocking; the 2008 add-on package does not include the latter two features.
It is to be noted that none of the suite is compatible with Mac OS X v10.4, and thus none are universal binaries. However, Allume's Internet Cleanup, which is a universal program, is seen as a successor to iClean. It is widely expected that if a new version is to be released, Norton Confidential will also be included in the Internet Security suite.
Criticisms
Many of the criticisms leveled at Norton AntiVirus, including being slow, inefficient and difficult to uninstall, can also be leveled at Norton Internet Security due to its inclusion of Norton AntiVirus. In September 2006 ThePCSpy.com did two studies covering several thorough tests to find out what programs slowed down Microsoft Windows most. Norton Internet Security 2006 was the number one cause of a slow PC in both tests, with Norton Internet Security 2007 being the number three cause in the second test.[2][3] Further, Norton Internet Security is known to "dig deeper" into the Microsoft Windows operating system than Norton AntiVirus, causing further uninstallation problems. Symantec has released several tools to aid in the uninstallation process but you need to use all of them to complete the process.
Features
Product Activation
Norton Internet Security 2004 and subsequent versions include a product activation requirement. Norton Internet Security 2004 through 2007 can be activated online or by phone. Starting with Norton Internet Security 2008, it can only be activated online.
Awards
Norton Internet Security won two PC Magazine's editor's choice awards for best anti-virus product for 2007 and 2008.
See also
References
- ^ http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-security-and-firewall/norton-internet-security-2007/4505-3667_7-32069538.html
- ^ Oli Warner. "What Really Slows Windows Down", thepcspy.com, 2006-09-22. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
- ^ Oli Warner. "What Slows Windows Down", thepcspy.com, 2006-09-10. Retrieved on 2006-09-10.
