what's the difference between these groups?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Maxine
  • Start date Start date
M

Maxine

Can someone explain to me the difference in purpose between alt.comp.virus
and alt.comp.anti-virus?

Thanks,
Maxine
 
One is about ways to prevent a virus infection using anti-virus programs,
and other means. The other is about the infectious virus programs
themselves.

-Frank
 
Can someone explain to me the difference in purpose between alt.comp.virus
and alt.comp.anti-virus?
Click to expand...

acv has a much longer history, for one thing. Legend has it that acv
was once dominated by so-called "pro-virus" types ... IOW, people
who are enthusiatic about writing (and maybe spreading) viruses.
Such types are called "vxers". At some point, acv was invaded by
decidedly ANTI-virus types, some of them researchers and developers
working professionally in the antivirus industry. These "white hats"
gradually took over and dominated acv.

By the time I started haunting acv, somewhere in the 1998-1999
time frame, the "white hats" reigned supreme, in spite of a couple
of die-hard vxers who would stir up the pot from time to time.
There was/is a FAQ and "official" posting guidelines:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/alt-faq/part1/index.html

George Wenzel used to do a good job of maintaining "law and
order" ... which is quite a feat in a unmoderated group.

Unfortunately, the "heavyweights" gradually faded away over
the years, and rarely do you see a post by a av expert any
more.

Meanwhile, some time back, a guy managed to get aca-v started
over the objections of most of the acv regulars who figured that
was a unnecessary duplication of newsgroups. IMO, they/we
were right. It's PITA since we wind up posting to both groups
quite often. There was no need at all for aca-v. They basically
have the same purpose.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 
From: "Art" <[email protected]>

|
| acv has a much longer history, for one thing. Legend has it that acv
| was once dominated by so-called "pro-virus" types ... IOW, people
| who are enthusiatic about writing (and maybe spreading) viruses.
| Such types are called "vxers". At some point, acv was invaded by
| decidedly ANTI-virus types, some of them researchers and developers
| working professionally in the antivirus industry. These "white hats"
| gradually took over and dominated acv.
|
| By the time I started haunting acv, somewhere in the 1998-1999
| time frame, the "white hats" reigned supreme, in spite of a couple
| of die-hard vxers who would stir up the pot from time to time.
| There was/is a FAQ and "official" posting guidelines:
|
| http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/
| http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/alt-faq/part1/index.html
|
| George Wenzel used to do a good job of maintaining "law and
| order" ... which is quite a feat in a unmoderated group.
|
| Unfortunately, the "heavyweights" gradually faded away over
| the years, and rarely do you see a post by a av expert any
| more.
|
| Meanwhile, some time back, a guy managed to get aca-v started
| over the objections of most of the acv regulars who figured that
| was a unnecessary duplication of newsgroups. IMO, they/we
| were right. It's PITA since we wind up posting to both groups
| quite often. There was no need at all for aca-v. They basically
| have the same purpose.
|
| Art
| http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg

Steve Sprague was the pro-ponent of a.c.a-v
 
Thanks for the explanation! But I'm still not clear which group I should
post to if I have a question about anti-virus issues?

Thanks,
Maxine
 
From: "Maxine" <[email protected]>

| Thanks for the explanation! But I'm still not clear which group I should
| post to if I have a question about anti-virus issues?
|
| Thanks,
| Maxine
|

Either one or Cross-Post as you did with this thread starter.

"We" monitor both. :-)
 
Thanks for the explanation! But I'm still not clear which group I should
post to if I have a question about anti-virus issues?
Click to expand...

Take your pick. The same regulars monitor both groups. Probably
because of its name, aca-v tends to draw more questions about
opinions on av (and other antimalware) products. It seems to me
to have more traffic and more "newby" posters asking for very
basic info, help and instructions. But, again, toss a coin and
take your pick.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 
Art said:
Take your pick. The same regulars monitor both groups. Probably
because of its name, aca-v tends to draw more questions about
opinions on av (and other antimalware) products. It seems to me
to have more traffic and more "newby" posters asking for very
basic info, help and instructions. But, again, toss a coin and
take your pick.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
Click to expand...

Possibly because Google shows it first.

Lou
 
Art said:
acv has a much longer history, for one thing. Legend has it that acv
was once dominated by so-called "pro-virus" types ... IOW, people
who are enthusiatic about writing (and maybe spreading) viruses.
Click to expand...

ok, now i know i'm old because i remember the times of legend...

oh well, now i know what i'm going to tell people at the b-day
celebration when they ask me if i feel any older...
 
ok, now i know i'm old because i remember the times of legend...

oh well, now i know what i'm going to tell people at the b-day
celebration when they ask me if i feel any older...
Click to expand...
"I remember when the internet was just a dream, if you wanted
to send data to somebody you wrote a mag tape and sent it by
courier"

They won't believe you!
 
Meanwhile, some time back, a guy managed to get aca-v started
over the objections of most of the acv regulars who figured that
was a unnecessary duplication of newsgroups.
Click to expand...

Once, there had been a hipcrime attack on acv, which made it
unreadable for all people that didn't have a news server that would
filter out the masses of nonsensical topics (using cleanfeed).

This was the first time that I heard about acav, and I understood it
that way, that it had been established to evade the reading
difficulties. Maybe I was wrong.

The attacker even announced that he would "overtake" acv, but didn't
succeed, and acv continued doing its job. This is all I can tell about
these two groups.


Gabriele Neukam

(e-mail address removed)
 
Once, there had been a hipcrime attack on acv, which made it
unreadable for all people that didn't have a news server that would
filter out the masses of nonsensical topics (using cleanfeed).

This was the first time that I heard about acav, and I understood it
that way, that it had been established to evade the reading
difficulties. Maybe I was wrong.
Click to expand...

It was established by stalker steve (sprague) after consultation with
three or four acv regulars (Fred Bonroy was one) to clear up the
charter issue between av and vx once and for all. ie No vx allowed and
no flaming allowed (lol). The consultation wasn't really enough and
quite a few people expressed the view that it would become a mirror of
acv, which it more or less has.


Jim.
 
It was established by stalker steve (sprague) after consultation with
three or four acv regulars (Fred Bonroy was one)
Click to expand...

btw That was private correspondence between them. The first the rest
of us on acv knew about it was after the decision had been made and
the deed done. Too bad.



Jim.
 
James Egan a écrit :
btw That was private correspondence between them. The first the rest
of us on acv knew about it was after the decision had been made and
the deed done. Too bad.
Click to expand...

I think there was a discussion in alt.comp.virus prior to the creation
of its "evil sister", no? I don't remember. At the time I felt it might
be sensible to create alt.comp.anti-virus, but the context was of course
a bit different. After all, newsgroups evolve, too.

I later realized that in fact it was useless/bad/stupid/whatever comes
to your mind. Oh well. I'm no longer particularly interested in either
newsgroup so this doesn't haunt me.
 
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