Home » Archimedes archive » Micro User » MU 1992-01.adf » !VKiller/Docs/Rivals

!VKiller/Docs/Rivals

This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.

Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.

Tape/disk: Home » Archimedes archive » Micro User » MU 1992-01.adf
Filename: !VKiller/Docs/Rivals
Read OK: ✔
File size: 061A bytes
Load address: FFFFFF43
Exec address: 2B526F9B
Duplicates

There are 7 duplicate copies of this file in the archive:

File contents
VKiller Rivals
--------------

Users might like to know that there are now *competitors* to VKiller :-)

These include:

Guardian 1.05
Nice icon, but *no* BASIC source code for this. It is supplied as an ABC-
compiled program, which hence requires ABCLib and a lot of trust :-) V1.05 does
not recognise the difference between VKiller-innoculated !Boot and Extend-
infected !Boot files...

VirusZap 0.10
A module, but goading me in the documentation ("my virus killer can kill more
viruses than yours !") doesn't endear me to it. Seems to only detect EXECUTION
of the virus and not its presence on the disk. The lack of source code also
makes me very wary...

!KillVirus 1.00
A user interface not a million miles away from early versions of VKiller :-)
Sadly bombs out if an infected disk is write-protected when it attempts to
remove the virus.

If someone has later versions of these virus killers (or others that I haven't
mentioned), can they please pass them onto me ? It's *always* nice to see the
opposition are doing :-)

Conclusion
----------

VKiller has and ALWAYS WILL supply its source code with the standard
distribution. I personally refuse to run any virus killers that don't have
the source code supplied (yes, I could disassemble them, but I need that
time for disassembling viruses !).

At the end of the day, it's up to the individual user as to which virus killer
he or she wishes to run. The temptation to run whichever one copes with the
most viruses is an easy trap to fall into, because some may not "properly"
deal with these viruses...

00000000  56 4b 69 6c 6c 65 72 20  52 69 76 61 6c 73 0a 2d  |VKiller Rivals.-|
00000010  2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d  2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 0a 0a 55  |-------------..U|
00000020  73 65 72 73 20 6d 69 67  68 74 20 6c 69 6b 65 20  |sers might like |
00000030  74 6f 20 6b 6e 6f 77 20  74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65  |to know that the|
00000040  72 65 20 61 72 65 20 6e  6f 77 20 2a 63 6f 6d 70  |re are now *comp|
00000050  65 74 69 74 6f 72 73 2a  20 74 6f 20 56 4b 69 6c  |etitors* to VKil|
00000060  6c 65 72 20 3a 2d 29 0a  0a 54 68 65 73 65 20 69  |ler :-)..These i|
00000070  6e 63 6c 75 64 65 3a 0a  0a 47 75 61 72 64 69 61  |nclude:..Guardia|
00000080  6e 20 31 2e 30 35 0a 4e  69 63 65 20 69 63 6f 6e  |n 1.05.Nice icon|
00000090  2c 20 62 75 74 20 2a 6e  6f 2a 20 42 41 53 49 43  |, but *no* BASIC|
000000a0  20 73 6f 75 72 63 65 20  63 6f 64 65 20 66 6f 72  | source code for|
000000b0  20 74 68 69 73 2e 20 49  74 20 69 73 20 73 75 70  | this. It is sup|
000000c0  70 6c 69 65 64 20 61 73  20 61 6e 20 41 42 43 2d  |plied as an ABC-|
000000d0  0a 63 6f 6d 70 69 6c 65  64 20 70 72 6f 67 72 61  |.compiled progra|
000000e0  6d 2c 20 77 68 69 63 68  20 68 65 6e 63 65 20 72  |m, which hence r|
000000f0  65 71 75 69 72 65 73 20  41 42 43 4c 69 62 20 61  |equires ABCLib a|
00000100  6e 64 20 61 20 6c 6f 74  20 6f 66 20 74 72 75 73  |nd a lot of trus|
00000110  74 20 3a 2d 29 20 56 31  2e 30 35 20 64 6f 65 73  |t :-) V1.05 does|
00000120  0a 6e 6f 74 20 72 65 63  6f 67 6e 69 73 65 20 74  |.not recognise t|
00000130  68 65 20 64 69 66 66 65  72 65 6e 63 65 20 62 65  |he difference be|
00000140  74 77 65 65 6e 20 56 4b  69 6c 6c 65 72 2d 69 6e  |tween VKiller-in|
00000150  6e 6f 63 75 6c 61 74 65  64 20 21 42 6f 6f 74 20  |noculated !Boot |
00000160  61 6e 64 20 45 78 74 65  6e 64 2d 0a 69 6e 66 65  |and Extend-.infe|
00000170  63 74 65 64 20 21 42 6f  6f 74 20 66 69 6c 65 73  |cted !Boot files|
00000180  2e 2e 2e 0a 0a 56 69 72  75 73 5a 61 70 20 30 2e  |.....VirusZap 0.|
00000190  31 30 0a 41 20 6d 6f 64  75 6c 65 2c 20 62 75 74  |10.A module, but|
000001a0  20 67 6f 61 64 69 6e 67  20 6d 65 20 69 6e 20 74  | goading me in t|
000001b0  68 65 20 64 6f 63 75 6d  65 6e 74 61 74 69 6f 6e  |he documentation|
000001c0  20 28 22 6d 79 20 76 69  72 75 73 20 6b 69 6c 6c  | ("my virus kill|
000001d0  65 72 20 63 61 6e 20 6b  69 6c 6c 20 6d 6f 72 65  |er can kill more|
000001e0  0a 76 69 72 75 73 65 73  20 74 68 61 6e 20 79 6f  |.viruses than yo|
000001f0  75 72 73 20 21 22 29 20  64 6f 65 73 6e 27 74 20  |urs !") doesn't |
00000200  65 6e 64 65 61 72 20 6d  65 20 74 6f 20 69 74 2e  |endear me to it.|
00000210  20 53 65 65 6d 73 20 74  6f 20 6f 6e 6c 79 20 64  | Seems to only d|
00000220  65 74 65 63 74 20 45 58  45 43 55 54 49 4f 4e 0a  |etect EXECUTION.|
00000230  6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 76  69 72 75 73 20 61 6e 64  |of the virus and|
00000240  20 6e 6f 74 20 69 74 73  20 70 72 65 73 65 6e 63  | not its presenc|
00000250  65 20 6f 6e 20 74 68 65  20 64 69 73 6b 2e 20 54  |e on the disk. T|
00000260  68 65 20 6c 61 63 6b 20  6f 66 20 73 6f 75 72 63  |he lack of sourc|
00000270  65 20 63 6f 64 65 20 61  6c 73 6f 0a 6d 61 6b 65  |e code also.make|
00000280  73 20 6d 65 20 76 65 72  79 20 77 61 72 79 2e 2e  |s me very wary..|
00000290  2e 0a 0a 21 4b 69 6c 6c  56 69 72 75 73 20 31 2e  |...!KillVirus 1.|
000002a0  30 30 0a 41 20 75 73 65  72 20 69 6e 74 65 72 66  |00.A user interf|
000002b0  61 63 65 20 6e 6f 74 20  61 20 6d 69 6c 6c 69 6f  |ace not a millio|
000002c0  6e 20 6d 69 6c 65 73 20  61 77 61 79 20 66 72 6f  |n miles away fro|
000002d0  6d 20 65 61 72 6c 79 20  76 65 72 73 69 6f 6e 73  |m early versions|
000002e0  20 6f 66 20 56 4b 69 6c  6c 65 72 20 3a 2d 29 0a  | of VKiller :-).|
000002f0  53 61 64 6c 79 20 62 6f  6d 62 73 20 6f 75 74 20  |Sadly bombs out |
00000300  69 66 20 61 6e 20 69 6e  66 65 63 74 65 64 20 64  |if an infected d|
00000310  69 73 6b 20 69 73 20 77  72 69 74 65 2d 70 72 6f  |isk is write-pro|
00000320  74 65 63 74 65 64 20 77  68 65 6e 20 69 74 20 61  |tected when it a|
00000330  74 74 65 6d 70 74 73 20  74 6f 0a 72 65 6d 6f 76  |ttempts to.remov|
00000340  65 20 74 68 65 20 76 69  72 75 73 2e 0a 0a 49 66  |e the virus...If|
00000350  20 73 6f 6d 65 6f 6e 65  20 68 61 73 20 6c 61 74  | someone has lat|
00000360  65 72 20 76 65 72 73 69  6f 6e 73 20 6f 66 20 74  |er versions of t|
00000370  68 65 73 65 20 76 69 72  75 73 20 6b 69 6c 6c 65  |hese virus kille|
00000380  72 73 20 28 6f 72 20 6f  74 68 65 72 73 20 74 68  |rs (or others th|
00000390  61 74 20 49 20 68 61 76  65 6e 27 74 0a 6d 65 6e  |at I haven't.men|
000003a0  74 69 6f 6e 65 64 29 2c  20 63 61 6e 20 74 68 65  |tioned), can the|
000003b0  79 20 70 6c 65 61 73 65  20 70 61 73 73 20 74 68  |y please pass th|
000003c0  65 6d 20 6f 6e 74 6f 20  6d 65 20 3f 20 49 74 27  |em onto me ? It'|
000003d0  73 20 2a 61 6c 77 61 79  73 2a 20 6e 69 63 65 20  |s *always* nice |
000003e0  74 6f 20 73 65 65 20 74  68 65 0a 6f 70 70 6f 73  |to see the.oppos|
000003f0  69 74 69 6f 6e 20 61 72  65 20 64 6f 69 6e 67 20  |ition are doing |
00000400  3a 2d 29 0a 0a 43 6f 6e  63 6c 75 73 69 6f 6e 0a  |:-)..Conclusion.|
00000410  2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d  2d 2d 0a 0a 56 4b 69 6c  |----------..VKil|
00000420  6c 65 72 20 68 61 73 20  61 6e 64 20 41 4c 57 41  |ler has and ALWA|
00000430  59 53 20 57 49 4c 4c 20  73 75 70 70 6c 79 20 69  |YS WILL supply i|
00000440  74 73 20 73 6f 75 72 63  65 20 63 6f 64 65 20 77  |ts source code w|
00000450  69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20  73 74 61 6e 64 61 72 64  |ith the standard|
00000460  0a 64 69 73 74 72 69 62  75 74 69 6f 6e 2e 20 49  |.distribution. I|
00000470  20 70 65 72 73 6f 6e 61  6c 6c 79 20 72 65 66 75  | personally refu|
00000480  73 65 20 74 6f 20 72 75  6e 20 61 6e 79 20 76 69  |se to run any vi|
00000490  72 75 73 20 6b 69 6c 6c  65 72 73 20 74 68 61 74  |rus killers that|
000004a0  20 64 6f 6e 27 74 20 68  61 76 65 0a 74 68 65 20  | don't have.the |
000004b0  73 6f 75 72 63 65 20 63  6f 64 65 20 73 75 70 70  |source code supp|
000004c0  6c 69 65 64 20 28 79 65  73 2c 20 49 20 63 6f 75  |lied (yes, I cou|
000004d0  6c 64 20 64 69 73 61 73  73 65 6d 62 6c 65 20 74  |ld disassemble t|
000004e0  68 65 6d 2c 20 62 75 74  20 49 20 6e 65 65 64 20  |hem, but I need |
000004f0  74 68 61 74 0a 74 69 6d  65 20 66 6f 72 20 64 69  |that.time for di|
00000500  73 61 73 73 65 6d 62 6c  69 6e 67 20 76 69 72 75  |sassembling viru|
00000510  73 65 73 20 21 29 2e 0a  0a 41 74 20 74 68 65 20  |ses !)...At the |
00000520  65 6e 64 20 6f 66 20 74  68 65 20 64 61 79 2c 20  |end of the day, |
00000530  69 74 27 73 20 75 70 20  74 6f 20 74 68 65 20 69  |it's up to the i|
00000540  6e 64 69 76 69 64 75 61  6c 20 75 73 65 72 20 61  |ndividual user a|
00000550  73 20 74 6f 20 77 68 69  63 68 20 76 69 72 75 73  |s to which virus|
00000560  20 6b 69 6c 6c 65 72 0a  68 65 20 6f 72 20 73 68  | killer.he or sh|
00000570  65 20 77 69 73 68 65 73  20 74 6f 20 72 75 6e 2e  |e wishes to run.|
00000580  20 54 68 65 20 74 65 6d  70 74 61 74 69 6f 6e 20  | The temptation |
00000590  74 6f 20 72 75 6e 20 77  68 69 63 68 65 76 65 72  |to run whichever|
000005a0  20 6f 6e 65 20 63 6f 70  65 73 20 77 69 74 68 20  | one copes with |
000005b0  74 68 65 0a 6d 6f 73 74  20 76 69 72 75 73 65 73  |the.most viruses|
000005c0  20 69 73 20 61 6e 20 65  61 73 79 20 74 72 61 70  | is an easy trap|
000005d0  20 74 6f 20 66 61 6c 6c  20 69 6e 74 6f 2c 20 62  | to fall into, b|
000005e0  65 63 61 75 73 65 20 73  6f 6d 65 20 6d 61 79 20  |ecause some may |
000005f0  6e 6f 74 20 22 70 72 6f  70 65 72 6c 79 22 0a 64  |not "properly".d|
00000600  65 61 6c 20 77 69 74 68  20 74 68 65 73 65 20 76  |eal with these v|
00000610  69 72 75 73 65 73 2e 2e  2e 0a                    |iruses....|
0000061a

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