McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008's protection keeps up with the changing threats on the Internet, but the product doesn't excel, burdened by a user experience that's basically unchanged from last year.
While Symantec's protection is solid, the overall user experience within Norton Internet Security 2008 could be much, much better. Not all the features work together and use fewer system resources.
If you want a fast, flexible antivirus product that an advanced user can tweak to perfection, NOD32's an excellent choice. But if you're more of a set-it-and-forget-it novice, look elsewhere.
Despite a spate of file-swapping lawsuits, it's not all bad news for TV and movie producers. They have far better alternatives than the music industry did when it was doing battle with Napster, and the better-known video-sharing sites seem to have learned the hard lessons of their music predecessors.