There are so many lousy products and worse companies out there these days that when I do come across one I’m really happy with, I like to tell people about it.

Among the numerous antivirus computer programs I’ve tried over the years, ESET has ranked as my favorite for about five years. It doesn’t take up much space. It works quietly and efficiently in the background, without interrupting you. And it came highly recommended by my son, a one-man geek squad who is a developer, systems administrator, programmer, and whatever other geekly descriptions might be appropriate.

Now, maybe in recent years, computer viruses have been beaten into submission — but I doubt it. In the past I’ve tried McAfee and Norton. The first was notable for constantly interrputing my gaming, not because I couldn’t “schedule” updates for the wee hours, but because despite the scheduling, they kept popping up unschedule-able ads for more McAfee products. I’ve always thought it tacky to keep annoying a satisfied customer by trying to push more products and services in their face. It’s not like I don’t know where to find them if I want something else from them.

Norton was better, but as I recall, still required a lot of babysitting.

Then came ESET NOD32 (no idea what those letters might stand for). It sits on my machine, quietly going about its business, protecting me from viruses and trojans and other attacks, and leaving me to enjoy myself in peace. It updates itself automatically, in the background. It scans incoming and outgoing email and downloaded files. It runs scans on demand or on schedule, with whatever parameters I specify. Everything the big names do, but none of the hassle.

And btw, if you’re interested in ESET, go to http://www.eset.com/purchase/referrals/?id=1664196. I’ll get credit for referring you. Aren’t I shameless?