I've often wondered why the Trojans let that horse in....

I don't know if the Millennials and Zoomers use antivirus programs; if they do, I suppose they would call them "apps," not programs. But the names of the unfortunate Trojan guards in the cartoon above should be familiar enough to the younger generations to prompt a chuckle, even from them.

The rest of us have paid for McAfee or Norton since before the Earth's crust cooled. Norton now operates on a subscription basis; actually, I think Norton was one of the first programs to require subscriptions. I know I was a subscriber in 2010, when I dealt with an actual 'trojan horse' virus. Much as I don't like subscriptions, I suppose a subscription model makes particular sense for antivirus programs, given the rapidity with which new security threats evolve in the online world.

But am I the only one who thinks the most common feature of antivirus software is trying to upsell the user on new products or features? The occasional scan may be reassuring, but the results always come with a warning that there are all sorts of unnecessary files or applications slowing down your computer -- and, if one tries to click toward a solution, an offer to 'solve' the problem by upgrading one's subscription for only several dollars more per year.

It feels less like protection... and more like protection racket. Hey, this is a nice computer you got here... it would be a shame if something happened to it.... It does leave the user -- this user, anyway -- wondering what it is that we are actually paying for now....

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The cartoon above was taken from a Facebook site called Writers, Readers and General Tomfoolery. I tried, but failed, to decipher the creator information at the top of the image so that I could give proper credit to the actual cartoonist. I apologize for that. I will gladly update to properly credit the original source if it can be ascertained.