The Scam of the Century

[WebbPA 0]

There is no reason for your framerates to suffer because of a background AV program. You can disable it. If having it disabled but resident offends you get Custom Startup ($10) http://gboban.hypermart.net/ and define a profile that boots without ANY extraneous programs.

[Ed 0]

Marc,I agree with you 100%. I dumped mine about four years ago. It seems more people have problems with anti-virus programs then any others. I personally use mail washer which lets me preview my email before even downloading it off my mail server. If it is suspicious, it gets blacklisted and deleted from my mail server.Ed

[Christopher Low 5,353]

I have started using Mail Washer recently, if for no other reason than to bounce all of those ridiculous spam e-mails back to where they came. I now have a huge blacklist of e-mail addresses, since the only e-mails that I am interested in are those from my friends or companies that I have done business with. Anything else is SPAM, pure and simple. Some advertisers might like to send me details about their products, but if I wanted a particular product, then I would contact THEM.So they can all **** *** as far as I'm concerned :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest metamarty]

I may be controversial, but as a computer nerd, I love virusses. I don't care for big companies or small computer users who don't have the intelligence to use a computer to get infected. Bad software like windows have created the opportunity to allow this sort of stuff. If the focus had been on quality software and open source reviews, instead of greed and marketing, noone would have these kind of problems. Instead, we all have come to know this as a "computer problem" instead of a "bad software problem", which it clearly is. Therefore we all spend thousand of dollars on "anti virus" software. You know what, I have a good day when I read about a new attack. I use a simple linux firewall and the mutt mail reader and never ever have I had problem with my computers. I don't use windows based firewalls and I don't have virus scanners. People need to realize that computers are dangerous if handled improperly. They require the utmost care and competence when it comes to writing software. If you focus on earning as much as you can and forcing your software on people with marketing, then this is what you get.

[Guest Markyboy]

".....as a computer nerd, I love virusses. I don't care for big companies or small computer users who don't have the intelligence to use a computer to get infected. Bad software like windows have created the opportunity to allow this sort of stuff. If the focus had been on quality software and open source reviews, instead of greed and marketing, noone would have these kind of problems. Instead, we all have come to know this as a "computer problem" instead of a "bad software problem", which it clearly is. Therefore we all spend thousand of dollars on "anti virus" software. You know what, I have a good day when I read about a new attack......"Get A Life Please.Enough Said.

[Guest emergency_pants]

It's alright for people with an ounce of savvy to say that virus protection software is useless, but it's not really aimed at them, IMHO. If you're sensible enough to delete suspect e-mail and stop it before it reaches your PC, then you're totally 100% right.However, I would suggest that Anti-virus is an essential piece of software for the casual user, who doesn't tinker much with their PC. I drive a car and a motorbike but I wouldn't say I know much about the ins and out of them... I just drive them. I put oil in the engine and other minor maintenance, but for the most part, I can't be sure what difference I'm making... just that I know that if I don't do these things, I'm gonna break down one day. Last time I visited my doctor, He gave me a tetanus jab... now what are the chances of me getting tetanus? Just so totally slim! But I'm glad I had it, just in case... I NEVER want to get lockjaw! Much the same for the casual PC user who updates their virus software from time to time. It stops KNOWN viruses from spreading indefinitely.So I commend you on your knowhow and your foresight... and thumbs up to never getting a virus... but I don't agree with the whole scam conspiracy thing. Antivirus software and operating systems are updated often. It stops these viruses from continuing to spread, once they have been identified. Without AV, we might all be riddled with dodgy little bugs that 'boys in basements' would be sending here there and everywhere.Viruses can often be quite passive... they're just made by silly people who want to try their hand. So don't be sure that just because your system seems unaffected, you don't have something on your HD that you're potentially going to infect someone else with. Also... if you don't have AV software installed, how do you know you haven't been affected?MailWasher sound really cool.. thanks for the tip on that one... I'll check it out. :)Cheers all,Simon.

[Guest Macs]

Just one question.You claim that you've never had a virus over the past 3 years-how do you know?I mean some virus's are pretty silent in the way they go about their business on a computer-without AV software you probably wouldnt know that you had it.

[Guest padds]

AV and Firewall protection are 100% needed when the machine is connected to the Internet, even when its behind another one.I have AV on ALL machines except for one, my FS machine. My setup is a little unique though.My email is checked by 3 different AV systems, and all inbound and outbound traffic goes through an invisible checker on my firewall. The ONLY reason my sim machine doesnt have AV is that discipline will not allow me (neither will my firewall) to download anything onto it.If I want a file for it I have to download on a protected machine and then load it into Flightsim.You can never be too careful at all. For instance all of our systems at work are hidden completely behind PIX firewalls that do not let the ports 135,139, 69, 4444 that the Blastr virus uses through.... therefore we are immune on the workstations to it. Though it cannot get in, my department has still deployed the Microsoft patch out to every machine "just in case" even though it would be impossible for one of them to even see the Internet without the PIX.On an individual system you should/must have it, however I have found that with Nortons, disabling "Realtime protection" while you play will help, otherwise as the Sim loads/unloads files you will see a hit... but it takes a quick right click on the icon to do that before you load FS.Jonathan O'Connor

[Guest Tim13]

"What form of software causes more install glitches and impacts Flight Sim performance more than any other commercial product on the market? If you answered Anti-virus software... DING, DING, DING, DING..."Other than one piece of anecdotal evidence, do you have anything to back up this sweeping generalization? Secondly, do you know of a site that reports PC software sales, or were you guessing that AV stuff is at the top of the sales list? Tim13

[Guest jordan]

Software that comes in the form of an email attachement and requires a user to execute it before it can act malicously does not deserve to be called a virus. The whole virus industry, including the un-informed media that trumps up the stories, IS A SCAM.

[Guest Leesw]

Revelling in the spread of viruses because software companies can't spend unlimited resources creating bulletproof operating systems is truely idiotic. That is the equivalent of supporting people spreading broken bottles and tire shreaders on freeways because the automotive industry can't make totally indestructable tires at a cost that consumers can afford.If every software innovation had to be delayed for several years to plug every conceivable, or inconceiveable, avenue of attack, then we would still be running cumbersome command line software from the 70's and we would have to pay $250,000 for an OS that had Pentagon level security. The Internet would still be a university/military exclusive tool.Also, don't get all high an mightly about Linux. The only reason it isn't being constantly attacked is that hackers can't be bothered, it is too limited in usage and they prefer to go after the corporations who supposedly make our live so miserable by providing us with cutting edge computers, OSes, and games at affordable prices.

[E 0]

I've not been hit with a virus since 1987 (which took me 3 mins to realize, 2 mins to kill, and FOUR hours to ensure I'd eradicated it *grin*). Part luck, part being smarter (i.e. not opening mail from blargy@blnbzarr.com entitled "RE: I didn't believe it would make me rich either"). I still have and use AV software... but only run it when I have a questionable situation or on most anything I download.

[Guest metamarty]

>Revelling in the spread of viruses because software companies>can't spend unlimited resources creating bulletproof operating>systems is truely idiotic. That is the equivalent of>supporting people spreading broken bottles and tire shreaders>on freeways because the automotive industry can't make totally>indestructable tires at a cost that consumers can afford.You don't need unlimited resources to make a secure application. You don't even need bulletproof software. Software may contain bugs without compromising security. All it takes is the right person at the right job and correct development procedures to create software. Using an open source development system greatly reduces the risk of having critical bugs at critical locations. Ignoring security issues and keeping your protocols proprietary means putting your customers at risk. That's what Microsoft does.>>If every software innovation had to be delayed for several>years to plug every conceivable, or inconceiveable, avenue of>attack, then we would still be running cumbersome command line>software from the 70's and we would have to pay $250,000 for>an OS that had Pentagon level security. The Internet would>still be a university/military exclusive tool.Funny, but exact these demands are made for the development of medicines and the acquiring of airworthiness certificates for aircraft. If you don't think sofware security is that important, wait what happens when entire financial databases are destroyed. Software can cost lives.The internet still exists and recovers from attacks because it runs mainly on open source, community created software and standards. These standards and protocols have been look at by thousands of enthousiasts and are examined daily by people who are interested in their functioning. If there are bugs, they will be found and fixed. The only thing you're paying $250000 dollars for are closed propriatery systems.>>Also, don't get all high an mightly about Linux. The only>reason it isn't being constantly attacked is that hackers>can't be bothered, it is too limited in usage and they prefer>to go after the corporations who supposedly make our live so>miserable by providing us with cutting edge computers, OSes,>and games at affordable prices.This is exactly what I mean by saying that people have been tricked into believing that virusses and crashes are a "computer problem" instead of a "bad software problem". Yes, linux has had vulnarabilities, but when found they are fixed immediatly. Microsoft has been caught time and time again ignoring warnings about problems in their software, only to allow yet another virus to spread months later. Computers can be secure and rock solid. For example, the most secure operating system, OpenBSD, can be downloaded for free and still holds the world record of security; one remote hole has ever been found.

[Guest]

You're not a computer nerd, you're an ignorant FOOL if that's the way you think.Your attitude is the same as that of the criminals who spread virusses "to punish large corporations" and other such crap.

[Guest]

OpenBSD and Linux are so full of holes it doesn't even bear contemplating them as secure...Sure, they can be MADE relatively secure, but default installations (which are all that the average user can manage, at best) are a playing field for intruders.Out of the box Windows (any Windows) is more secure than BSD or Linux out of the box, and it's far easier to update as well.