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From: jln@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Norstad)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Floppy virus scanner like SAM's?
Message-ID: <3387@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>
Date: 9 Feb 91 21:26:40 GMT
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References:<1991Feb8.213450.23668@macc.wisc.edu> <1991Feb9.054815.13710@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>

In article <1991Feb9.054815.13710@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU> 
carsup@extro.ucc.su.oz.au (Fisher Library support) writes:
> My solution? Put both INITs into your System Folder: Disinfectant and GK 
Aid.
> Don't leave home without it! :) Even John Norstad agrees the two are 
really
> complementary (don't you, John?).

Well, in general I recommend that people don't mix anti-viral INITs, with 
the exception of Gatekeeper and Gatekeeper Aid, which were designed to go 
together.  The reason is that it doesn't increase your protection very 
much, it causes confusion when one or the other INIT does indeed discover 
a virus, and it's just asking for trouble with INIT conflicts.

But I don't know of any conflicts between the various INITs, so this isn't 
a big deal - do what you want.

I don't think that there's a great advantage to using the Disinfectant 
INIT and Gatekeeper Aid together.  Yes, GK Aid will indeed eliminate 
desktop viruses and my INIT will only detect them, but rebuilding a floppy 
desktop only takes a second anyway.

The great advantage of SAM Intercept and Gatekeeper over the Disinfectant 
INIT is that they can and often do protect against unknown (new) viruses 
(not all, but some), while my INIT is GUARANTEED to fail to detect them.  
The advantage of my INIT is that it is tiny, unobtrusive, efficient, easy 
to install, doesn't require configuration, and doesn't require complicated 
decisions which novices don't understand.  This is an unavoidable 
tradeoff.  Each user has to decide for himself which type of protection he 
wants to use.  The most important thing is to use some kind of protection.

John Norstad
Academic Computing and Network Services
Northwestern University
jln@casbah.acns.nwu.edu