great potential ruined by plenty of serious bugs
I thought the exact same thing. I wish they would make it where you could bring back the user interfaces from the previous versions. I REALLY liked the avast 4 and 4.8, then 5, 6, and 7 were fair, but 8 is just awful looking in my opinion. Any way you can release different skins to give it a better look? Not to mention, I was NOT happy about the upgrade from 7 not having the option to remove some of the crap it installed. Then the CONSTANT notifications. I never noticed those in 7. Only after I installed the upgrade to 8. After I installed it, I was doing a MASSIVE project on my computer that I didn't really want to take a break from. Having the notification jump up like a jack russell f***ing terrier was annoying as could be. every few hours. Then the software updater that I couldn't remove from the GUI for avast 8 do the same thing in the bottom of my screen was VERY annoying. Now I have to try removing it from control panel and HOPE that actually removes it.
There are so many bugs it is about to make me want to just ditch it entirely. I really feel that is a shame, because the antivirus works VERY well. I have even recommended it to many of my friends. But, being in the IT industry, I don't want a nanny sitting here telling me when my stuff is out of date. It is a nuisance to have it pop up all the time. You would think turning it off in the GUI would turn it off for good, but that only turns it off until you reboot.
I really hope they do a decent overhaul of all the features they added, because it feels to me like they had something that worked great, and then they decided to "fix" it, and broke it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Or, wouldn't it at least be possible to make it where the old software can run the newer definitions? I am not sure how it is coded, but it seems to me that it would be a possibility. Or could a simple patch be made so that the definitions can stay up to date, but you just wouldn't have some of the new features of the latest version? I would LOVE to be able to run it from the older setup. They just felt so much better. I don't care if it means I don't have the latest internet security stuff. I originally wanted avast for an antivirus, because it was free. That is still the only thing I really want it for. I don't want it to be all these other things. I think you would REALLY make a lot of users happy if you made it where the older layouts could run with the newer definitions. I know I would be referring A LOT more people to your program. I can say that a few of them have been unhappy with the more recent changes, as a couple of my friends who were using the paid versions have said they will not be renewing it anymore because they were unhappy with all the changes.
Sorry it was a long post. Instead of my two cents, you can say it was my ten cents.