Microsoft’s Morro Beta Coming Shortly

 

The world’s largest software company is reportedly working on an antivirus service for computers that it will make available to users for free. While the exact date of the service launch is not known, Microsoft is reportedly preparing for a beta release shortly.

 

Codenamed “Morro”, the new antivirus was first revealed by the software giant last November, with plans of launching it in the second half of this year. According to a report by Reuters, the application will offer free basic protection against viruses along the same lines as that offered by the basic versions of most other antivirus manufacturers.

 

The stand alone anti-malware program will keep systems protected against viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans, but will not have any of the additional features offered by current consumer security applications. The application will reportedly be compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems only.

 

Morro is slated to replace Live OneCare, one of Microsoft’s biggest failures. While it was launched with much fanfare and positioned as a full-fledged security suite, it never found favour with users. Microsoft now plans to phase it out by the end of this month.

 

By launching a free antivirus service, Microsoft hopes to take on security giants like McAfee and Symantec, though chances of that happening seem slim at the moment. Expressing the opinion that the move is a long-term threat, analyst Daniel Ives said that there would be no significant short-term effects of the free offering.

 

It now remains to be seen what the exact offering will be and how much of a threat does it prove to be to its competitors.

 

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