Is antivirus software that important?

[Geek-9pm]

Now that was a real rebuttal. Much better than the first. It appears that your expressions are much more clear and forceful after I make some statement that annoys you.

Now as to the regional topic, the average computer user should have an effective Anti-Virus program. But of course, that does not eliminate all danger. In fact, as you correctly stated, lack of knowledge is a much more serious issue. Here we're not talking about agents of a lack of formal education, but rather ignorance of reality of the world in which we live. Or, as some would say, being streetwise.

Much more money is lost to other types of malicious activity on the Internet. Here is a video that illustrates the idea. Of course it's kind of silly and frivolous, but it does make the point and  it's fun to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw5hW_bH1U

So to answer the original question, yes it is important to have AV software. A much greater damage comes from other types of things that many people are just not aware of. The media would do well to direct more attention to computer education. 

[soybean]

So once a safer computing crusader who once championed Avira and anti-malware software, I've now become almost apathetic towards these products. My last full computer scan was 2 months ago and I found nothing. If I scanned my computer today, I would be confident I'd get a similar result. Viruses just seem so "old-fashioned" when it comes to malicious attacks on the Internet. ...

I'm not trying to be arrogant and I'm not trying to say "Oh ho ho, I'm so smart with computers, I'll never get infected!". I just don't feel the threat of viruses anymore.

But should I?

You've raised a valid point.  I haven't read through this entire discussion thread but I think computer users can more easily become lax in their perspective about the need for anti-virus software because ISP's have become active players in the anti-virus arena, compared to the situation some years ago. In other words, ISP's have become more pro-active in scanning email messages flowing through their servers before the messages are viewed or downloaded by their customers.  So, when an end-user goes for many, many months with no virus detection by anti-virus software, it's easy for them to become complacent about using anti-virus software.

Honestly, I have a laptop computer - one of three computers I use at home - that I bought in July 2007 and have regularly used on the Internet, including email, and I've never installed anti-virus software on it and have never had a virus problem. [I do have anti-virus on two desktop systems.]  But, would I tell senior citizens who take computer classes at a center for retirees/seniors in Licking County, Ohio?  Definitely not.  Would I tell my mother, a senior citizen, or my less-computer-savvy siblings they don't need anti-virus.  No, that wouldn't be wise.

And, along this line, any responsible online computing forum should be very cautious about promulgating the view that anti-virus software is not necessary. The risk is still present.  I recently worked on a computer for someone who got a virus; it was the one that appears to be legitimate message about a UPS delivery (a FedEx and USPS version is also floating around).  And, her ISP is the same as mine and I had seen the same message come into my email. But, unfortunately, she opened an attachment to the message and her computer was infected.

[jim.mar]

Very bad idea.

Why??   JIM