Wait. What ! Defender is not really a Microsoft Product ?

[annaegorov]

OK so now I feel really stupid, but in case you are behind the times like me, MS did not create WD, it bought it. Does MS write any of it's own software?

GIANT Anti-spyware was a highly regarded, proactive security tool developed by GIANT Company Software, Inc., known for its advanced, real-time detection of, and defense against, spyware, malware, and unauthorized system configuration changes.

Microsoft acquired the technology in December 2004 to develop Windows Defender.

 

[LinuxFan58]

True, but between 2004 and 2026 I guess Microsoft added an antivirus to the original anti-spyware product, added new features and overhauled the product completely to make it OS aware.

 

[Wrecker4923]

Does MS write any of it's own software?

I remember Bill Gates worked on the demo MS-DOS himself .

 

[Miravi]

OK so now I feel really stupid, but in case you are behind the times like me, MS did not create WD, it bought it. Does MS write any of it's own software?

GIANT Anti-spyware was a highly regarded, proactive security tool developed by GIANT Company Software, Inc., known for its advanced, real-time detection of, and defense against, spyware, malware, and unauthorized system configuration changes.

Microsoft acquired the technology in December 2004 to develop Windows Defender.

Windows Defender always had little in common with the original GIANT AntiSpyware. As soon as Microsoft bought them out in 2004, they took in key personnel from the company who helped with rewriting the original Visual Basic engine in C++ for better performance and a more robust foundation.

Microsoft made other strategic acquisitions—like Sybari Software—and built a dream team by bringing in a lot of talent. For example, just one year after launching the Microsoft AntiSpyware beta version in 2005, they hired a prominent antivirus executive formerly at McAfee, Vincent Gullotto.

In reality, all the development of Windows Defender took place at Microsoft. Absorbing a security software company at the beginning was immediately a big help in laying the groundwork for the development saga that followed.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

After Microsoft acquired the company in December 2004, Andrew Newman worked at Microsoft for about four years, eventually leaving in 2008.

During his tenure, he served as the Lead Security Program Manager. He spearheaded the transition of his original software into the first release of Microsoft Anti-Spyware, and he designed the core architecture for the second-generation platform that officially became Windows Defender (now Microsoft Defender).

He later created another product called herdProtect, which I actually tested out here in the Hub back in the day.

@harlan4096 I'm sure you remember this.

 

[annaegorov]

I remember Bill Gates worked on the demo MS-DOS himself .

I didn't know bill had any skills, heard he was a forceful salesperson though

 

[annaegorov]

Well, I do have one TRUE story about Microsoft. I worked in Seattle many years ago. I knew a laundry driver. He was a keen investor.

One day he reads about a new company starting up. As soon as he can, he decided to buy into MS. He sells his house (his wife threw a fit). He borrowed money from friends and family, took out the largest loans he could. He sold all his tools, and had a garage sell. I never asked how much he ended up with, but he told me.... "I took every penny I could scrape but, and I put it all into Microsoft"

I was so busy, at work, I never kept tabs on the guy. But I assumed he ended up very wealthy...

 

[annaegorov]

I have one more, true, story. This happens to be a guy, from Russia. He was my best friend but has moved to another state and we lost track of one another.

Anyway, in my 20's I worked for him for a while. He loved America. He said Russia never gave him opportunities to get rich, but in America if you worked hard, you could do it.

I asked him one day how he got started in construction building custom homes. He said he begged some religious people here in America, when he first got here to teach him, and allow him to work for them, to learn to build custom homes. I think they were Amish.

Anyway, he works very hard for them for several years. Finally, he tells them goodbye and thank you so much for your kindness. For helping me learn English and learn to build custom homes.

He moves far away from them. He has no money to speak of, and no jobs yet, and he has tools, but just the basics, no cranes, bulldozers ETC. Just tools and an old dump truck.

He starts looking for ads and notices an ad to tear down a house in a rich little city, named Mercer Island. He meets the owner, who wants this 3-story mansion torn down, so he can build a new home.

My friend wants to tear it down, and not destroy any of this old, hard lumber. He wants to use it to help build his first custom home which he will live in for a year, then sell it and build more houses.

The owner has no idea of his plans for the old lumber, he asks him you have tools and a dump truck, you have no crane to reach up high, nor a wrecking ball, how will you do this. My friend says "Please, allow me to do it. I will do a really good job". You can pay me half of what I originally bid on the house demolition. The owner says well OK.

The next day my friend starts. He goes up the huge spiral staircase to the third floor. The house is old, but well built, and massive. Lots of plaster, lots of stonework, its huge and he is all alone, no crew, just himself.

He tells me the first thing he did was cut a huge round hole in the first two floors. He started on the third floor and just started taking everything apart to get to the wood, all this stuff he them pushed, pulled, threw and broomed to the hole on the third floor, which fell thru the 2nd floor hole, and ended up on the first floor.

He pulled all the nails out of the wood and stacked it neatly outside. He filled the dump truck, many, many, times until he was all done.

And that is how he started his own small company to build custom homes.

 

[TairikuOkami]

These days it is all about patents and licenses. Original creator does not matter anymore, but the final product and sadly companies usually shape it into their own image.
Ewido was a great product and it was bought by AVG, then AVG was bought by Avast, now by Norton, because there was always something missing, in term of marketing.

I didn't know bill had any skills, heard he was a forceful salesperson though

And that is what sells the product and makes the profit. Sometimes inferior products are more profitable, because they have a better marketing. Quality is pushed back.
Many companies put more money into marketing rather than into improving their own products, because sales number matter and customers complaints are negligible (AI).

P.S.: When I complain about something, people actually attack me for the hate speech, while they literally agree with me, that the product is inferior. That is insane.