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Continuing the theme of Windows malware… let’s talk for a second about Yahoo mail and Yahoo messenger.

Yahoo mail is supposedly the “new hotness” because it replicates a desktop-like experience on the web. Leaving aside the fact that it’s simply unusable unless you have militant ad-blocking software installed, Yahoo doesn’t get it: the web is the web and the desktop is the desktop – program accordingly. Google understands this – which is why I think Gmail is the finest web application I’ve ever seen, tightly and well-integrated with the web. In short, it feels and looks like the web, not like some hack someone ported over from the desktop.

Then let’s talk about the disaster that is Yahoo messenger. Instead of being a quiet, unobtrusive program like Google Talk, Yahoo insists on doing things in its own special way. Leaving aside the fact that it doesn’t respect most of the conventions of Windows UI design, that it conveniently forgets settings that have been painstakingly set to minimize intrusion, and cryptic, and hence useless, error messages, its most egregious flaw is that it insists on using Internet Explorer for everything. I do not use Internet Explorer. I do not wish to use Internet Explorer. In fact, if I had it my way, I would delete Internet Explorer.

So, despite every other application (including Microsoft ones, I might add!) respecting and using my choice of browser, Yahoo insists on executing iexplore <website>. And since I wisely followed some advice and renamed Internet Explorer (no easy task in Vista, I might add!), Yahoo’s application attempts to load (and fails at loading) any Yahoo website, including apparently, the bug reporting website, which means I can’t even report the flaw. Seriously, Yahoo – does not a single person in your compay use Firefox?

Prediction: By 2010, Yahoo will have closed its doors permanently, or will have been bought out by a tech company that “gets it”. Let’s hope for the former, even as we fear the latter – the latter means that there will be Yahoo/old-world thought infecting a web-world company.

There are a few programs in the Windows world that are awful, and I broadly classify as malware, but for which there are few alternatives.

This includes:
-RealPlayer
-Any HP Scanning software
-Any of the crapware that comes with most modern Windows computers.

However, by far and away the worst offender is Symantecware. It used to be that Norton Utilities was a byword in computing, some 15 years ago. Then I’m not sure what happened. Succeeding versions of Norton Utilities removed features, were dumbed down, and somewhere along the way integrated itself so tightly with computers that it’s impossible to remove it.

In fact, it meets and exceeds the definition of a virus or adware.

For example, my flatmate is struggling as I write this to remove Norton Antivirus and Norton Systemworks. Her computer, which had not a single problem before now has random services fail on her, complete computer lock-ups and refuses to uninstall. I think the next step will be to forcibly remove Norton and Symantec keys from the registry, disable Symantec services that load up and liberally use the delete key in the Program Files folder.

When I got a new computer that came with Norton Antivirus, I still remember spending time struggling to remove NAV and install my site licenced copy of McAfee Virusscan Enterprise. After an hour and a half of clicking buttons that insisted that my computer would be at risk, my data would be stolen and would you please pay us, I was unsuccessful in removing Norton and nuked the entire installation.

In short, if you must use Windows, please do not ever make the mistake of using Norton Antivirus. Use a business or enterprise version of antivirus software, which reduces the useless utilities and the BS to a minimum. Or Kaspersky.