Grex Agora41 Conference

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Grex Agora41 Item 132: McAffee anti-virus software, email, and like that.
Entered by bdh3 on Sun Apr 28 08:59:32 UTC 2002:

I just read the email from me dah where he finally solved the problem
with his anti-virus software on his new WindowsXP box.  Seems about
a month ago he 'upgraded' from the locally installed and managed
anti-virus software to the 'new' (.NET?) style software where the
remote McAfee host attempted to remotely manage scanning for
virii on his machine.  
He's been cc-ing me on all email and it has been absolutely
hilarious to watch while 'support' at McAfee have been trying to 
figure out the problem - and never actually did.  Watched while
each step of the way an asian-indian offered suggestions (McAffee
sent support offshore?) in fractured english - each email from a
different person.  (Hilarious to me, but perhaps not so to he.)
Ranged from re-installing microsoft browser to re-installing
Windows in the first place. Started out of course with re-installing
the McAfee software.  (Turns out that was actually the key it
appears, re-installing the software as the software had never
been tested on a system that hadn't already had it installed
in the first place - a classic mistake made by developers - and
not just Microsoft - bit more complicated in this case but true
in the general sense - re-install without removing.)

Seems he gets 'hits' from McAfee a lot which was the whole purpose
of upgrading to the latest and greatest in the first place.  And
I asked why?  If you get lots of email viri which target Microsoft
email program then why not use other than M$ to read email?  Why
try to teach a noodle to dance?  I use M$XP for months now with
no virus warning (use McAfee locally with the latest and greatest
database which I download automatically (well, most of the time
it fails as I am not connected to the Internet 'properly' - most
of the time am at customer site who are picky about firewalls - 
ie they have them)).  But I use either Lotus Notes, Eudora, or
a browser (netscape) interface to a M$ mail system.  And I get
tons more email per day than he - and not a peep about virus...

13 responses total.

#1 of 13 by other on Sun Apr 28 14:34:58 2002:

Oh, great.  Another of beady's "why isn't the world as great as I am?" 
items.

#2 of 13 by bdh3 on Sun Apr 28 17:15:57 2002:

Uh, if I were great I woulda been able to fix his problem a month
ago.  I'm interested in why I don't see the number of viri
he does giving the higher volume of mail.  He says he gets about
one a week - mostly from the 65 or so people he routinely corresponds
with.  The majority of the email I process is on windoze platform.
I am suspecting that since most of the email I do is via larger
corporate environment and some care is being taken to ensure that
virus payload is detected incoming to server before distribution.
Whats-her-name occasionally reports virus but nothing like the 
frequency me dad reports.  Perhaps again, the organization aspect.

What are grex users experience?  What percentage of email is
'organization' rather than descrete individuals?

#3 of 13 by keesan on Sun Apr 28 17:34:11 2002:

I don't get organization mail except for spam or work mail and with two
exceptions work mail has not contained viruses (the same virus).  I suspect
a lot of the spam with viruses is too large to reach grex.

#4 of 13 by mary on Sun Apr 28 19:46:23 2002:

The common thread, with all of Brian's items, is simply to 
point out that non-wasps are everywhere.  Usually, within
the first three sentences, he reports the ethnic background
of the key players.  Doesn't matter what the rest of the post
is about.  I enjoy watching for this.  It's a little like 
knowing the sun will rise tomorrow.

#5 of 13 by other on Sun Apr 28 23:53:16 2002:

Funny, I didn't have any doubts about that...  ;)

#6 of 13 by tsty on Mon Apr 29 02:51:15 2002:

but, other, getting such positive reiniforcement from bdh1/2/3/x is
sooooo much more supportive, now isn't it?

#7 of 13 by other on Mon Apr 29 03:45:12 2002:

huh?

#8 of 13 by bdh3 on Mon Apr 29 05:37:25 2002:

WHat word didn't you understand?  I got it (scary as that
may seem).

#9 of 13 by keesan on Mon Apr 29 14:37:43 2002:

I just got rid of a computer virus with help from an 'Asian-Indian' who
happened to request a chat while I was looking for free virus programs.  He
works in an office in Texas where all his coworkers are from India and are
willing to work at jobs that Americans do not have to take because they don't
need a work visa.  He plans to live permanently in the US (maybe in
Minneapolis instead of Texes) and wonders how to go about meeting people
(specifically, women who are not just out for a good time).  I suggested that
he find something more social to do than watch DVDs every day after work.
What might be suitable social organizations for him to join?  Do most large
cities have volunteer coordination agencies?  Public school rec programs?

#10 of 13 by oval on Tue Apr 30 19:14:34 2002:

isn't the 's' for 'spoiled'?

#11 of 13 by mdw on Wed May 1 01:06:33 2002:

I think the common factor between spam & viruses is they are highly
individualized.  What you get for either depends very much on your
personal contacts, habits, luck, interests, etc., -- and may be very
different from your neighbor.

I currently get spam for "Steve", addressed to grex staff.

#12 of 13 by jazz on Fri May 3 15:46:01 2002:

        Still, shitty support is shitty support, and it's an enormous pain to
be forced to deal with someone who doesn't speak the language in which the
software is sold.  Race has nothing to do with it.  There are people of all
races - and nationalities - with unintelligible accents and poor grammar, and
it's all the worse when it happens to be in their native language.

#13 of 13 by other on Sat May 4 01:15:45 2002:

re#11:  and do you forward it, with full headers, to uce@cyberspace.org?

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