Stop using us as guinea pigs

[CraigB]

Frankly speaking free AV's these days are just as capable as any of the paid solutions out there and that has been proven with the test results all showing avast - AVG - MSE and some others all up there with the best of the paid versions and iv seen numerus infections penetrate through paid situations as well, even with some of the slightly lower test results avast returned late last year this drop was a very minimal percentage and where yet to see what version 7 can bring us but it is looking very positive imo.
Any of the users that had corrupted installs would definitely know as thing would just not be functioning correctly.

When thinking of the term evangelist you need to forget the usual meaning of the phrase, on the forum it basically means someone has earn't there stripes supposively it's just a measure of posts or was as evangelist statis is now judged by time spent on the forum - competency and participation ( willing to learn and helpfulness )

Hope that clears up some of your questions 

Craig

[alan3333]

Thank you for the clarification and to everyone who has replied to my reasoned if somewhat pedantic points. I do realise that some bugs always have to be ironed out with new software, especially if a program is re-inventing like Avast7. I also realise that a sample may be missed by even the most expensive suites, i.e price does not guarantee results. However I still believe that software (not only Avast) is too often these days being tested in public by users who may not necessarily have the knowledge of  what to do if the software goes awry. I am fairly competent (only fairly) in computer use and because this competence is known among my circle of friends, am only too aware of the ignorance demonstrated by some of the questions I get asked and problems I am asked to solve. The assumption that everyone would even have the ability to use this forum is a nonsense. Therefore the average users trust in Avast must be implicit.

   

[CraigB]

We do get alot of none technical users here and we do manage to help them, once they arrive here we hope they browse around and try to pick up a bit of knowledge.

Unfortunately we cant protect people from themselves 

[Lisandro]

The general user is being forced to deal

Well, problems happened. For sure, out of our desires and expectations.
Nobody here would like to hurt our own users. Guinea pigs is a very hard (unfair) comparison.

[dagrev]

I don't think avast ever intended to "use" its users as suggested.  I believe avast is a good company with good people as if evidenced by the many interactions and at times admissions of things not being right.  You just don't get that kind of honesty everywhere. 

Having said that, I do believe that the artificial date setting for the release is the blame for the clearly abnormal number of problems with ver7.  That was simply a bad decision by somebody.  Clearly.  There were still problems in the last beta, then in the RC and then shortly there was the released version to my surprise. Yet I have every reason to expect the good people at avast are working like crazy to address this and have a great product that works smoothly.  This was an unfortunate (foreseeable?)  bump and will no doubt be a teachable moment for all.

Besides, where else can you go to get such a great AV for free (for those who use the free version)?  Nothing compares.  Nothing.

[guestja]

Avast has protected my computer too long for me to give up so easily and for that I am very grateful but these "configuration problems" if as widespread as I suspect are absolutely and positively a reputation killer.

Alan3333, just exactly what percentage of the 200 million uses do you suspect are having configuration problems?  By what method are you coming to this conclusion?

I have also been here awhile. Every time there is a major update there are some people who have problems. This time it is you - you have come to the forum to exact your pound of flesh. Apparently you see the developers as mules who need to be flogged by you to goad them on to better performance - to stop using us as a guinea pigs.

 You have explained that you are struggling to be patient, but don't know how much longer you can take it, and even added that you don't know if you can recommend the free version to your friends anymore. Ouch!

Yes, I'm being facetious.  "Me thinks thou doest whine too much".

If you can last a little longer, I believe the developers will get everything straightened out, and no -  I don't think they are taking us for granted.  I even suspect some of them,  at least,  are privy to the performance of the software. Quite possibly they are fervently doing every thing they can to straighten this out as fast as possible.

But if not, you can always go to another product and when they have a similar problem - lambaste them - and come back here!

[skay_baltimore]

Avast has protected my computer too long for me to give up so easily and for that I am very grateful but these "configuration problems" if as widespread as I suspect are absolutely and positively a reputation killer.

Alan3333, just exactly what percentage of the 200 million uses do you suspect are having configuration problems?  By what method are you coming to this conclusion?

I have also been here awhile. Every time there is a major update there are some people who have problems. This time it is you - you have come to the forum to exact your pound of flesh. Apparently you see the developers as mules who need to be flogged by you to goad them on to better performance - to stop using us as a guinea pigs.

 You have explained that you are struggling to be patient, but don't know how much longer you can take it, and even added that you don't know if you can recommend the free version to your friends anymore. Ouch!

Yes, I'm being facetious.  "Me thinks thou doest whine too much".

If you can last a little longer, I believe the developers will get everything straightened out, and no -  I don't think they are taking us for granted.  I even suspect some of them,  at least,  are privy to the performance of the software. Quite possibly they are fervently doing every thing they can to straighten this out as fast as possible.

But if not, you can always go to another product and when they have a similar problem - lambaste them - and come back here!

Hmmmmm...so someone who uses a product that appears to have been rushed to market before the beta testing was thoroughly completed, and comes to the support site for that product to voice his objection, must be a whiner, according to you.

Got it.

[nord]

We do get alot of none technical users here and we do manage to help them, once they arrive here we hope they browse around and try to pick up a bit of knowledge.

Unfortunately we cant protect people from themselves 

Nor, it seems, can we protect them from Avast's rushed releases.


Using Avast since 4.8 and am  back on version 6 until the dust settles.

[oklajohn]

I am very confused.   avast! 7 appears to be running ok for me after initial problems (including 2 BSOD's)....however, I am experiencing slow boots, slow shutdowns, and problem with system restore.  I don't know if it is related to avast, but it continues since upgrade to version 7.  I have no virus according to avast, and MBAM and SAS indicate no malware.  Pc is defragmented properly....so I am not sure what is going on.  If I can hang in there, hopefully corrections to problems will be swift?  I hate to go back to MSE, but at this point, I am considering it, even tho my subscription expires in July.   

avast! Internet Security Version 7.0.1402 Def 10229-0 

[Lisandro]

Appears to have been rushed to market before the beta testing was thoroughly completed

Exactly, appears. The technical criteria is not on our hands.
The beta test was enough and was the one we (they) could make.
The problems on upgrade/update has nothing to do with beta testing. They could happened any time, on version 6, on version 8, two months from now...
This was already posted in forum (i.e., the reason of the technical problems that were NOT related to the program itself, but the virus definitions).

[n01clueless]

I have seen the term Avast Evangelist bandied around this forum and would suggest the moniker be abandoned. An evangelist is someone who rigidly expounds a point of view regardless of evidence...and is a term in my opinion is at best inappropriate in this regard.

Unfortunately the term Evangelist and your definition describe many of them all too accurately, as you may have discovered by their blindly singing the praises of Avast despite overwhelming recent evidence to the contrary.

And I'm still waiting for a WebRep solution 5 days on.

[alan3333]

Avast has protected my computer too long for me to give up so easily and for that I am very grateful but these "configuration problems" if as widespread as I suspect are absolutely and positively a reputation killer.

Alan3333, just exactly what percentage of the 200 million uses do you suspect are having configuration problems?  By what method are you coming to this conclusion?

I have also been here awhile. Every time there is a major update there are some people who have problems. This time it is you - you have come to the forum to exact your pound of flesh. Apparently you see the developers as mules who need to be flogged by you to goad them on to better performance - to stop using us as a guinea pigs.

 You have explained that you are struggling to be patient, but don't know how much longer you can take it, and even added that you don't know if you can recommend the free version to your friends anymore. Ouch!

Yes, I'm being facetious.  "Me thinks thou doest whine too much".

If you can last a little longer, I believe the developers will get everything straightened out, and no -  I don't think they are taking us for granted.  I even suspect some of them,  at least,  are privy to the performance of the software. Quite possibly they are fervently doing every thing they can to straighten this out as fast as possible.

But if not, you can always go to another product and when they have a similar problem - lambaste them - and come back here!

Hmmmmm...so someone who uses a product that appears to have been rushed to market before the beta testing was thoroughly completed, and comes to the support site for that product to voice his objection, must be a whiner, according to you.

Got it.

If you bothered to read the earlier posts it was not me who used the term configuration problems first. Also I did not say that I couldn't recommend the free version any more, I said that I would advise my friends not to update yet. I never said anything about "struggling to be patient" or "how much longer I can take it" I don't think you're being facetious I think you are deliberately misrepresenting what I actually said. The more I read your post the more I become convinced that not only have you been extremely unfair to me but you either haven't read my words or made any attempt whatsoever to divine the intent behind them. In short I object in the strongest possible terms to your interpretation of my thread.   

[Gargamel360]

I have seen the term Avast Evangelist bandied around this forum and would suggest the moniker be abandoned. An evangelist is someone who rigidly expounds a point of view regardless of evidence...and is a term in my opinion is at best inappropriate in this regard.

Unfortunately the term Evangelist and your definition describe many of them all too accurately, as you may have discovered by their blindly singing the praises of Avast despite overwhelming recent evidence to the contrary.

And I'm still waiting for a WebRep solution 5 days on.

Hey, ....lets avoid typecasting Evangelists.....and I wont start typecasting newbies in return, okay? 

All we are, is stuck in the middle, between Avast! and its users.   

If everyone with a problem here has said their piece,  don't be surprised if it the longer you keep responding, the more it heads away from fact and toward a battle of opinion.    If you have made your point....isn't that enough?  If you try to start an "I Hate this Update Chat Thread", it is going to get locked, and whatever problem you had will get buried under a pile of dung.

[alan3333]

I have seen the term Avast Evangelist bandied around this forum and would suggest the moniker be abandoned. An evangelist is someone who rigidly expounds a point of view regardless of evidence...and is a term in my opinion is at best inappropriate in this regard.

Unfortunately the term Evangelist and your definition describe many of them all too accurately, as you may have discovered by their blindly singing the praises of Avast despite overwhelming recent evidence to the contrary.

And I'm still waiting for a WebRep solution 5 days on.

Hey, ....lets avoid typecasting Evangelists.....and I wont start typecasting newbies in return, okay? 

All we are, is stuck in the middle, between Avast! and its users.   

If everyone with a problem here has said their piece,  don't be surprised if it the longer you keep responding, the more it heads away from fact and toward a battle of opinion.    If you have made your point....isn't that enough?  If you try to start an "I Hate this Update Chat Thread", it is going to get locked, and whatever problem you had will get buried under a pile of dung.

 

Yet another misrepresentation.

[Lisandro]

And I'm still waiting for a WebRep solution 5 days on.

We did not give up. Just that there is a line of priorities and number of users affected.
Besides, Web Rep is not, per se, a security tool, just a reputation from users. It's not the core. It's very useful and could help a lot. But it is not the core.