The Download Dispatch

The reputation of software security vendors like McAfee hinges on their ability to keep customers out of harm's way. It therefore doesn't sit well when the protector becomes responsible for a major systems meltdown.

Last Wednesday morning, McAfee pushed what would turn out to be a buggy update to its antivirus software. The problem was a whopper, one that caused widespread crashes for home and business users running Windows XP with Service Pack 3. Not good.

In addition to issuing an official apology, McAfee has promised to reimburse the users affected by the faulty software release. We'll … Read more

It's been an eventful week in the glorious world of software, and we've decided to showcase more than a dozen new or updated apps for your Windows desktop. Some are updates to well-known programs, and some are brand new recruits we think you'll like, so let's jump right in.

Microsoft announced Friday that it has (finally) finalized Office 2010, which also includes 2010 versions of SharePoint, Visio, and Project on top of the Office productivity suite. (Read our First Take of Office 2010 here.) Businesses will be able to start buying up copies of Office in … Read more

After months of teasers, Adobe has finally announced its fifth Creative Suite, also known as CS5. While there's no hard and fast release date yet, Adobe generally makes new software available within 30 days of announcing its apps. We're expecting to see the whole CS5 caboodle arrive by May 12, though it's no secret that Photoshop is the one app in Adobe's portfolio we've got our eyes glued to. To show you what we mean, we'll start you out with a run-down of what's new and follow up with a list of gripes … Read more

Although there weren't any major browser updates, the past week saw a lot of browser-related news hit the wire. From what users have been able to test in the Chrome 5 beta and Chrome 5 developer's builds, and what's been discovered on Google-related blogs, the shape of the next version of Chrome is coming into focus. Google's accelerated development of Chrome isn't surprising given the browser's skyrocketing market share, and the company plans on baking Flash right into the browser.

Other browsers featured in the week's news include a minor update to Firefox 3.6.3, … Read more

If you're a major security vendor, updating your antivirus application once a year is pretty much par for the course. Symantec, TrendMicro, McAfee, AVG, and Avast have all turned in their updates for 2010. Now it's Avira's turn. Avira AntiVir 10--which comes in free, premium, and premium security suite versions--is keeping up with the security status quo, but it falls short of fulfilling its full potential. Read our hands-on review of Avira 2010 to find out how and why.

This week, we also have two tips for you. The first is a detailed look at two … Read more

As much bad press as Microsoft gets for Internet Explorer, we can't fault the software giant for continuing to develop what remains to be (for better or for worse) the world's most-used browser. In response to criticism, Microsoft started showing what it terms an Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview. We're told that the forthcoming IE 9 will include modern browser tricks, such as video that can play in the browser without a separate plug-in, better graphics performance, and the HTML5 Web standard that will let the browser handle a more complex class of Web apps. Although IE … Read more

For years, many have regarded LimeWire with suspicion, and its peer-to-peer transactions as something one enters at their own risk. Indeed, though the software itself is malware-free, enough people have encountered illegitimate and pernicious files from other LimeWire users that the file-sharing program has developed a bad reputation.

LimeWire is aware of the perception, too, which is why it partnered with AVG to bring malware-scanning to the app. There is a catch, of course. AVG will only scan downloads for LimeWire Pro customers. A $35-per-year subscription gets you faster downloads and better technical support in addition to those AVG-enhanced security … Read more

If you've always wished for a way to search a favorite Web site without loading the page first, you're in luck. We show you a hot tip for creating keywords that you can drop into your browser's address bar. After typing the keyword, you'll type your search term and voila! You'll be rewarded with search results from the site. Best yet, the tip works with most Web browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.

Speaking of Opera, the Norwegian browsermaker graduated its latest beta, which has now become the most recent stable version. Opera 10.50 … Read more

Tax season is nigh. If you've been putting off your taxes, we've got a guide to get you through this annual ordeal. We took a look at both the online and desktop versions of three do-it-yourself tax prep applications: tax giants H&R Block At Home Deluxe (Windows|Mac|online) and TurboTax Deluxe (Windows|Mac|online), and the smaller Tax Act Ultimate Bundle (Windows|online).

Or, if you prefer, we've touched on some of the programs' highlights in pictures.

There are merits and disadvantages to all three apps, but TurboTax surpassed H&R Block's … Read more