Norton gives users the works
by Alan Zisman
(c) 1999. First
published in Vancouver Computes,
January
1999
Symantec Norton SystemWorks
For Windows 9x PCs, 486-66 or better, 16 megs RAM, 95-
115 MB drive
space
Approx: $150(CDN)
Symantec Canada: (416) 441-3676
www.symantec.com
Many computer users turn to utilities?programs to help
them get the
most performance possible from their PCs, or to protect their systems
from
viruses, file corruption, or system crashes.
Recently, the market has seen two software giants
emerge (and neither
with names starting ?Micro??), as a series of mergers has swept the
field
of a number of utilities providers. Left standing are Symantec and
Network
Associates. And each has released a ?greatest hits? suite?offering a
wide
range of utilities in a single box.
Network Associates sells McAfee Office, combining
McAfee Viruscan along
with the former Cybermedia?s First Aid, Oil Change, Guard Dog, and
Uninstaller,
and the former Helix Nuts and Bolts and Hurricane, and PGP Security and
a number of other features.
Symantec has responded with Norton SystemWorks,
packing the pride of
its Norton series of products into a single box. Enclosed are Norton
Utilities
for Windows 9x, Norton Anti-Virus, Norton CrashGuard and a
six-month subscription to Norton Web Services. But with the competition
promising ten products in their package, Symantec couldn?t stop there.
A bonus pack is included, with additional products and features:
Quarterdeck's
Remove-it 98 and four of Symantec's popular communications and Internet
products: Norton Mobile Essentials, Visual Page, WinFax Basic Edition
and
pcANYWHERE EXPRESS.
(Initially, Symantec had promised their Norton
Uninstaller as a core
component of SystemWorks, but that was removed after the company lost a
court case where Cybermedia claimed that program code from their
Uninstaller
product had appeared in the Norton competition. Shortly thereafter,
Symantec
purchased Quarterdeck, allowing them to add the company?s Remove-it
uninstaller).
Symantec claims that the core SystemWorks and Bonus
Pack combined offer
$500 worth of software for about $150(CDN).
While both utilities suites promise a wide range of
functions in a single
box, Symantec has done a better job then the competition in giving
purchasers
the feel that they are working with a single product. Unlike McAfee
Office,
the core SystemWorks package (i.e. not the Bonus Pack) loads from a
single
installation?McAfee Office requires users to install each component
separately.
As well, when purchased individually, many of the
components offer overlapping
features?Norton Utilities includes limited virus scanning and a limited
version of CrashGuard, for example. In the suite version, these
redundancies
are eliminated. A single icon is placed on the Desktop to call up the
package
(McAfee creates 10 icons if all features are installed).
Similarly, a single Rescue floppy is created, while in
the past, users
of Norton Utilities created one diskette and Norton AntiVirus created
another.
Potentially, McAfee Office users could end up with as many as five
rescue
diskettes, potentially confusing in an emergency situation.
With all core products coming from Symantec/Norton,
there?s a reasonably
consistent user interface. By contrast, McAfee Office?s products
reflect
their heritage, coming from a variety of sources with a variety of
interfaces.
Symantec SystemWorks offers a lot of features for a
relatively modest
price. Loading them all, however, may be overkill for many users. As
well,
the core Norton Utilities version 3.0 had a shaky start on its release
a year ago?it?s taken seven bug-fixes to become stable. For ease of use
and peace of mind, however, this suite should prove popular with many
computer
users.