Why do people hate Norton?

The general concensus on Symantec software: it's shit. Along with being a total resource hog, it just doesn't so what it's supposed. The AV can't pick up most viruses, and the FW is way too picky and isn't configurable at all. Now I know most of say that Symantec is doing a good job, but how in God's name can you say that for sure? Just because you scan with only one AV doesn't mean you're safe.

I work at Staples and I see first hand the slowdown that Norton causes, even on our top-end computers. AMD64s with 1GB of RAM act like Pentium IIIs. I grit my teeth everytime someone comes into the store and asks where Norton is.

I use NOD32 AV, and Sygate Pro FW. NOD is about $20 cheaper than Norton, and doesn't hog up resources because it's coded in C++. Sygate was UNFORTUNATELY just bought out by Symantec and was dicontinued, but it still is doing a hell of a good job. Between this and my router I haven't had a single problem. Also, as an added bonus, Firefox is a good browser defence against spam and other bullshit that gets sent in via cookies.

Every now and then I'll test with AVG free and a couple spyware apps, but I haven't found any threats in the last 2 years.

Jam it back in, in the dark.