Stories by Preston Gralla

Once upon a time, Symantec's brand of Norton security software had one of the most confusing lineups around -- products included Norton 360, <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2488677/application-security/7-all-in-one-security-suites-anti-malware-for-all-your-devices.html?nsdr=true&amp;page=5">Norton 360 Multi-Device</a>, Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Internet Security. Trying to decide which product was the best for you -- not to mention the best priced -- was no picnic.

McAfee LiveSafe is the best product in McAfee's sizable security portfolio. Its suite offers protection for an unlimited number of Windows PCs, Macs and Android and iOS devices, along with a Web dashboard. There's 1TB of cloud-based storage as well. The whole thing is available for $60 per year.

You've heard the hype: The Internet of Things (IoT) will transform the way we live and work, bring us untold benefits like cutting our utility bills and warning us when the milk has gone sour, and be the engine for the next great economic boom. <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/The_Internet_of_Things_The_value_of_digitizing_the_physical_world">McKinsey claims</a>, for example, that the IoT could have an impact of $11.1 trillion per year by 2025 -- about 11% of the world economy, by McKinsey's estimate.

There's no mere digital divide in the United States; it's a chasm. It ensures that the have-nots will always have less, and those with broadband access will have more. It's time to finally end that, and guarantee that everyone in the country, no matter how poor, gets broadband and its many benefits.

The buzz today may be all about Office 2016 for Windows, which is due to be released this fall, but many business users are still getting acquainted with Office 2013 and will continue to use it for some time. Use this Word 2013 cheat sheet to help take advantage of all it has to offer.

What do Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon and Netflix have in common? In addition to being U.S. tech giants, they're in the crosshairs of European regulators and may face big fines and stiff rules reining in the way they operate on the continent.

Tech giants including Salesforce, Apple and Yelp have been out front in their criticism of the new law in Indiana that allows businesses to discriminate against gay customers. That criticism is a good thing. Businesses have a role in not just selling things to people, but in doing good and in making sure that companies and the marketplace operate equitably. And it's right that technology companies are leading the fight against the Indiana law, because tech is the most forward-looking of industries.

Mac users of Office who have felt left out in the cold by Microsoft (because the last version, Office 2011 for Mac, was released in October 2010) now have reason to be pleased: The preview of Office 2016 for Mac attempts to bring the suite out of the dark ages and into the modern world.

Now that <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2889261/fcc-approves-net-neutrality-rules-reclassifies-broadband-as-utility.html">net neutrality is the law of the land</a>, you may feel inclined to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. After all, a big reason the FCC backed net neutrality was the outpouring of support for it.

Poor, slow-footed old Microsoft. It just can't adapt to changing times or keep up with more innovative, agile and forward-looking companies like Apple and Google. That's been the way many of us have thought of Microsoft for a long time. But it may be our thinking that's old and outdated.

This year we are finally going to get an answer to one of the big questions in the technology world. For years, people have been debating whether Microsoft will retain its position as one of the world's dominant tech companies or steadily become less relevant.

Do you need to be a jerk to succeed in Silicon Valley? The frequency with which bad-boy behavior crops up in the epicenter of tech culture can certainly make it seem that way.

For the last two months the video-game industry has been embroiled in an ugly outbreak of name-calling and worse. This dustup, called <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2840556/the-charge-of-the-troll-brigade-what-to-know-about-gamergate.html">Gamergate</a>, was named after a hashtag on Twitter, where much of the nasty fight has taken place. It's a battle in which women have been threatened with violence and even death by hardcore gamers. The women's crime, in their eyes: They criticized what they see as the anti-woman, anti-gay, racist nature of games and many people in the industry.

Europe has declared war on U.S. tech companies, but despite this all-out assault, Europeans themselves still love American tech.

But he's quite fond of your credit card.