The way it works is that instead of downloading software, you visit a web site that has the software on it & you run it from there thru your browser.
For example, for $20/year you can access the virus [updated extremely hourly] scanner & PC tuning software at McAfee.com for as many computers as you want as many times as you want. They have a free trial if you want to see how remote sofware works. http://www.mcafee.com/partners/default.asp?pid=securecast
I think it’s crap. Not that particular example, mind you (though I did return VirusScan Deluxe for crashing my computer several times). I remember somebody trying to sell the “dumb terminal, smart net” concept some time back; I’ll pay for a real computer and software, thanks:
First of all, you can update your computer to a newer, faster model much sooner than the phone company can run fiber optic lines into everyone’s home. If industry had followed this model, we’d all still be pounding away on 386’s.
Second, if you’ve got all your taxes in “Joe’s online spreadsheet program”, or all your drawings in “Joe’s online drawing program” and Joe’s goes out of business and closes down, what the f*** do you do with all of your (now) unusable files? -Not to mention that Joe knows all about whatever you use your software for- sorry, Joe, no deal.
-*- A guy at school heard about the McAfee deal, and he thought it was really cool because it was free. I tried real hard to explain that it ain’t good for much, because ya need constant virus protection while you’re online, not just when you decide to visit the site. If you pick up a virus it’s likely to immediately do damage; finding out about it’s presence after the fact has a limited amount of usefulness, and the blue screen may tell you anyway. He didn’t get it. - MC
I have to agree with MC, I do not think I like this have your software on the Net model. I also do not believe that it is going to go over very well.
If I want to work on some document on my laptop in a place that does not have connectivity to the Net, I can with Word on my computer, but with it residing on the Net, I cannot.
Im not sure what mcafee does with what it finds on your computer but it would suck if they sold it to marketing companies. Maybe thats why its unlimited use on unlimited computers…
If you wanted to do a funny, you could write a bunch of “do-nothing” exe’s and give them obscene filenames. Run your path through them and everything. - MC