[PL] 2004 VOTE DISCUSSION: SECURITY

[Susan Bugher]

[PL] 2004 VOTE DISCUSSION: SECURITY

http://www.pricelessware.org/2004/PL2004SECURITY.htm

Please review the capabilities of all the programs on this list before
posting an objection to the exclusion of a program. The list is
separated into subcategories to make it easier to read. Many
subcategories overlap to a greater or lesser degree.

Many of you have greater knowledge of the programs on this page than I
do. Comments are welcome.

Susan

----------

Ad-Aware (Anti-Spyware) 75 (won)
Spybot Search & Destroy (Anti-Spyware) 69 (won)
SpywareBlaster (Anti-Spyware) 30 (won)

ID-Blaster Plus (Anti-Tracking) 6 (out)

AVG Anti-Virus System (Anti-Virus) 40 (won)
F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Anti-Virus) 34 (won)
Avast! (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
AntiVir Personal Edition (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)

Zone Alarm (Firewall) 40 (won)
Kerio Personal Firewall (Firewall) 34 (won)
Agnitum Outpost Firewall (Free) (Firewall) 16 (won)

Ethereal (Packet Sniffer) 11 (won)

Script Defender (Script Defense) 8 (won)
ScripTrap (Script Defense) 7 (out)
Script Sentry (Script Defense) 6 (out)

DCOMbobulator (Security patch) 8 (won)

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) (Encryption Tool) 15 (won)
Encryption for the Masses (E4M) (Encryption Tool) 10 (won)
AxCrypt (Encryption Tool) 6 (out)

Oubliette (Password Manager) 13 (won)
Password Safe (Password Manager) 12 (won)
PINs (Password Manager) 10 (won)

Whisper (Password Manager) 6 (out)

Revelation (Password Viewer) 10 (won)

-----------

 

[Tiger]

AVG Anti-Virus System (Anti-Virus) 40 (won)
F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Anti-Virus) 34 (won)
Avast! (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
AntiVir Personal Edition (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)

Do we need 4 av programs? It's pretty clear there is a relatively
large gap between the first 2 and second 2. I say keep the first 2
and dump the second 2.

 

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=BBQ=AB?=]

Do we need 4 av programs? It's pretty clear there is a relatively
large gap between the first 2 and second 2. I say keep the first 2
and dump the second 2.

I agree.

 

[Jim Scott]

|24.25.9.41>:
|
|>> AVG Anti-Virus System (Anti-Virus) 40 (won)
|>> F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Anti-Virus) 34 (won)
|>> Avast! (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>> AntiVir Personal Edition (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>>
|> Do we need 4 av programs? It's pretty clear there is a relatively
|> large gap between the first 2 and second 2. I say keep the first 2
|> and dump the second 2.
|
I disagree. 19 votes is a lot more support than most.
--
Jim
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[Spacey Spade]

|24.25.9.41>:
|
|>> AVG Anti-Virus System (Anti-Virus) 40 (won)
|>> F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Anti-Virus) 34 (won)
|>> Avast! (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>> AntiVir Personal Edition (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>>
|> Do we need 4 av programs? It's pretty clear there is a relatively
|> large gap between the first 2 and second 2. I say keep the first 2
|> and dump the second 2.
|
I disagree. 19 votes is a lot more support than most.

But the best has support two to one over the ones that got 19 votes. I
can see that, and I don't even use an AV!

What is the answer to: "What is the best AV software?"

Spacey

 

[Max Quordlepleen]

I
can see that, and I don't even use an AV!

OT, but, if I may, why not? I'm not wruuning one as I type this, but
that's only because there are almost no *NIX viruses anyway. In W2K, I
wouldn't dream of not having one.

 

[Spacey Spade]

OT, but, if I may, why not? I'm not wruuning one as I type this, but
that's only because there are almost no *NIX viruses anyway. In W2K, I
wouldn't dream of not having one.

On rare occasion that I have suspicion, or want to check downloaded
files from the file sharing networks, I use the free service:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com
I think this may be IE only. I find it convenient that it updates
itself when I run the test.

 

[Duddits]

|24.25.9.41>:
|
|>> AVG Anti-Virus System (Anti-Virus) 40 (won)
|>> F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Anti-Virus) 34 (won)
|>> Avast! (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>> AntiVir Personal Edition (Anti-Virus) 19 (won)
|>>
|> Do we need 4 av programs? It's pretty clear there is a relatively
|> large gap between the first 2 and second 2. I say keep the first 2
|> and dump the second 2.
|
I disagree. 19 votes is a lot more support than most.

I disagree as well. F-Prot for DOS doesn't function properly on NTFS
partitions. Maybe 2 categories?

regards

Dud
--

What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall?


Dam!

 

[omega]

Jim Scott (e-mail address removed) wrote...

But the best has support two to one over the ones that got 19 votes. I
can see that, and I don't even use an AV!

(You admit that here, and in public? I'm almost as free-wheeling 70's as
you. I practice safe computing about once a month. To see what it's like.)

What is the answer to: "What is the best AV software?"

I'm with keeping the top two. I might be protesting if the DOS F-Prot wasn't
in there, but there's no prob, as it took a lead position. And AVG, as you
note, it outranked its peers double-fold, 40:19.

 

[dszady]

I disagree as well. F-Prot for DOS doesn't function properly on
NTFS partitions. Maybe 2 categories?

<no snip>
Agreed.
I use F-prot for DOS on my DOS-only machine.
How many of us have used all four?
I've used the first three. Did anyone who has used the first two try
out 3 or 4?
The first two won in the voting hands down but there has been a lot of
whining when it comes to number one. Wait till we get to firewalls.

 

[Svante]

[PL] 2004 VOTE DISCUSSION: SECURITY (snip)
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) (Encryption Tool) 15 (won)
Encryption for the Masses (E4M) (Encryption Tool) 10 (won)
AxCrypt (Encryption Tool) 6 (out)

(snip)

I am the author of AxCrypt (http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net), so
of course I'm partial, but...

I was of course hoping to get many more votes, but regardless,
I'd just like to point out that AxCrypt represents a different
class of 'Encryption Tool' than does PGP as well as E4M. Both
are great programs, but they do different things.

I'd like to suggest a further subdivision of the category
'Encryption Tool', at least in the future. A possible sub-
division might be:

"Disk Encryption", "Virtual Encrypted Disk", "Folder Encryption",
"File Encryption" and "E-mail" in descending order of specificity.

The point is that encryption tools serve different purposes, and are
not interchangeable. PGP does not at all do the same thing as E4M
does (although PGPDisk does, but then it should probably be listed
separately). AxCrypt does not at all do the same thing as E4M.

AxCrypt might not make it on the list regardless (yet), but the list
will be even more useful if it does not bundle all 'encryption tools'
into one in the future.

Great work with the list by the way!

Best regards,

Svante