That brought me back to Alwil Software's Avast. It was the second antivirus program I tried after giving up on Norton, and I used the freeware version for several months before I felt the need to try another program. Unfortunately, the freeware version doesn't have scheduled full-system scans (a questionable feature to hold out, in my opinion). This time around, I've got Avast 4.7 Pro.
In a nutshell, Avast may not be quite as protective as Nod32, although I’ve used it for many months and it’s prevented a lot of bad bugs on my systems. It’s hard to argue with real-world success. Avast has a terrible interface. It’s quirky, illogical, difficult to find things, and has multiple configuration areas in completely separate locations (a no-no that Symantec also used to practice). It’s hard to imagine a program that is more poorly designed from a work-flow point of view than Avast. It also comes with voice-enabled notifications turned on, which makes me want to scream. But … the saving grace is that it works with Eudora, and after you fiddle with at least four separate dialogs and turn off a few things, it finally becomes clams up. Silence is golden.
Alwil Software: Blow this thing up and hire a true interface design team. Make Avast what it could be. Create a “Silent” configuration option, that lets you configure this thing to maximum protection with automatic decisions. C’mon, antivirus isn’t rocket science. So we’ll lose a few emails now and then. It’s only email and file attachments. Everyone knows you can’t trust email for important business communication anymore. (You didn’t get the memo? We’re all using instant messaging for that now. It’s nuts.)
Sasha, can you drop your opinion about our loved interface?
I think this being an old issue of Scott’s newsletter (May 2006), I think I can recall it being discussed in the forums previously. I think that at the time I said I agree with much that Scot Finnie says but this I have to disagree with. Although for some reason I can’t find it in the forums now.
Unfortunately, I also have to agree with some of the things Scot Finnie said.
We’ve all been complaining in one way or another about the interface.
Part of the reason has to do with the fact that avast! allows you to configure
so many different parts of the program.
The more choices you offer, the more difficult the decisions become.
Maybe as Scott said it’s OK to loose an email here and there if doing that
will result in a product that’s easier to set up.
Maybe there ought to be another version of avast! with fewer settings and an easier user interface.
There is no way to make program perfect for everyone.
I prefer lots of settings so i can configure it the way i like. Others want an AV with one button. Besides, whats so unlogical anyway? On-Access settings are in On-Access panel and everything else is in the Program Settings. Automatic decisions and few lost mails? Sure few lost mails aren’t problem for this guys but to some it might be and it would be again “that bad avast! Antivirus that erased my emails”. I also guess this guys never heard for Silent Mode did he? :
All i’ll say is RTFM : I’ve seen from my personal experience that no one reads it (yeah i actually have Readme files along few my programs). Ever.
Well, avast really has this terrible media player type interface, there is nothing to fly away from it.
It is not so easy for a newbie to find the skinless interface how to navigate with the antivirus. Experienced users maybe can handle that media player type interface better?
Also, I have still this thing running, a guy sometimes comes out and says:
Your virus database has been updated. Have not cared to remove it, but both I think should have an easy option to get rid, or rid in the default. I have not cared to find out, but he still is yelling and i dont like it no more.
above from me was a kind of joke, but it really carries some truth too
A button, when hovering that mice cursor, to select ‘No skin interface’.
I know it breaks all skins made before, but really, that is not me only?
Lots of people used to old windows gui type that tells explicit what is there to have available.
As far as i can remmeber skinless interface is enabled by default. Plus there is bunch of other skins that don’t even virtually look like media players.
Sounds can be managed under menu called “Sounds”.
It is not, there is some media player type standard avast interface as a default.
That talk about the guy telling its updated, well it does not happen to my over 70 year old father cause he runs a finnish language Avast
But I can find out and stop complaining about silly things, keep my mouth shut up, lol.
Avast is a nice antivirus anyways, good work guys.
EDIT:
Dont count me on not bothering again with that hovering gui interface … next time i see a post where I can protest, I have propably forgotten my previous posts then, lol.
And Avast is not the only program suffering in my mind of the attractive gui syndrom. There are a lots these days.
As far as I’m aware it is the Silver Panel that is the default skin.
However, it is now a little easier to select No Skin in the Program Settings, Common, just untick the Enable skins for Simple User Interface. Unfortunately your average user leaves virtually everything as installed defaults and rarely tinkers or investigates the GUI.
While it is true that I rarely change most of the settings, I do like having a lot of settings so that if I do want or need to change something, I have the option to do so. Personally, I like being able to customize the GUI to what I like.
Perhaps the avast team might consider having 2 different versions where one is as it is and another has very few changable settings with a skinless GUI for those who do not like to customize to their liking.
Lite version with basically no config?
I could get a F-Prot 4 (yeah the new one) but i’m hesistating because you can’t change a damn thing. Everything is so fixed and unconfigurable…
Sure regular joes would like that but for me it’s a real pain to use such program :-\ Thats why i don’t want avast! to go the same way…
Btw who’s this guy anyway? I see bunch of such people criticizing programs on daily basis where they mostly leave out bunch of facts and reasons and they often don’t even bother to read Readme file or contact developers…
“Who’s Scot Finnie, anyway?” I came across that sentence posted in a Linux forum recently. If anyone figures it out, let me know. (I'm still in a period of discovery.)
I’ve been a journalist for over 20 years. I’ve worked on staff at several computer magazines or online publications, including PC/Computing, FamilyPC, ZDNet, and Windows Magazine. I’ve also written articles for CNET, PC Magazine, PC World, MacWeek, Byte, ComputerWorld, PC Today, Personal Computing, Computer Life, Popular Science, and Popular Mechanics.
Personally I found the Media Player type interface easy and intuitive to use. Maybe it’s a generational thing , older people may not have grown up with such interfaces in their face when they want sound. ???
To me it all looks quite logical .
I can’t see any reason not to use a skinless GUI though , if that’s more comfortable . As far as complex settings , if your not prepared to read the instructions why use any program ? Not an issue worth throwing Avast! in the bin in my opinion, which it is , just my opinion
Since the first time that I tried the avast!, I felt that its GUI aren’t good and it should be very improved, and I expressed that on my firsts posts in this forum…
A lot of things was changed since then, like the transparent proxy, system resources (still needs a lot of improvements), new great features, etc…
But the GUI still need a lot of work! Some Sasha skins are great, but isn’t enough…
I’m hoping to see some changes about this area on the v5.0…
[EDIT:]
Its proactive protection and threats dectection should be also improved…
C’mon, after reading his “other” reviews i was like :
And he’s using double standards for bunch of stuff.
He’s saying for avast! that it has too many settings and for some other AV that hass less settings he’s saying it should have more of them. Um?
Decide already what you want…
