Apple dropping support for Virex as part of .Mac
It appears that Apple will not provide support for the newly released Virex 7.6, after years of offering the virus protection software as a benefit of .Mac membership.
In addition, download links to Virex 7.5.1 have been removed from the .mac website, likewise Virex 7.5.1 no longer shows in your iDisk software folder.
MacFixIt reader Steve Prindle writes:
"According to Apple tech support, Virex compatibility issues with OS 10.4 motivated this turn of events.
"On the MacAfee website, Virex 7.6 is available for $201.05 plus $81.00 for an additional year of support. This is for five seats, the minimum quantity you can buy.
"A .Mac search on Virex yields this information:
"Updating Virex
"If you're using Mac OS X version 10.3 or earlier and were a .Mac member who downloaded the Virex application before May 2005, you can continue to receive updates to virus definitions through May 2006. To receive automatic updates, make sure you're using Virex 7.2 or later and that your Internet preferences are set to access .Mac. "
Over the past several months we've covered a number of serious issues with Virex 7.x under Mac OS X 10.3.x and Mac OS X 10.4.x including system slow-down and instability, conflicts with fax functionality, problems with other Apple-supplied applications, and more.
For instructions on removing Virex for your system, see this report.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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Amen, it's an easy bet that Virex caused more Macs to crash than any Mac
virus ever did. The "medicine" was worse than the disease.
Partly because I'm net-savvy and also because I felt that the Mac was obscure
enough that no viruses were likely to gain a foothold there.
Aside from Windows-specific viruses and/or Office macro viruses, has anyone
actually been saved from a Mac virus by a Mac anti-virus app? Just curious.
Not since the WDEF virus 10 or 12 years ago. Remember that virus would
gradually slow down a Mac until it was so slow that closing a window would be
similar to the Dock's "genie" effect only slower.
The point of using an a/v product on the Mac is not to keep you away from Mac
viruses, of which I think only one has been reported, but to keep you from re-
transmitting virused emails/files back into a Windows environment.
Personally, I use Norton's product, which works real time and doesn't require me
to drag and drop each email into the checker to work. Based upon the crap that
my client's allow into their networks and email systems, it's the least I can do.
Dot-Mac scans all email going through its servers for malware and cleans as
necessary, so I'm not worried about unwittingly transmitting anything.
I sincerely hope that Apple offer an alternative or they will have devalued the .Mac offering for me.
- but as one poster said: it is very important to have - company policy wise...
because there could be a treat coming any day - or to be sure not to pass on
Windows virus's... so Dear Apple please get Your act together and offer a
replacement asap.
membership. Apple has also promised .Mac members .Mac only dashboard
widgets...coming real soon! I guess when no third party person decided to
write one Apple took down the teaser for the .Mac widgets.
The one nice bonus is the versiontracker membership but if you are already a
member here then that freebie amounts to zero. No extra time if you are a
member, nothing.
I love .Mac for handling files and backing up system level files like the
keychain. It has already saved me just about a month ago when I trashed my
keychain entries but the freebies and member benefits really bite the big one
and we keep getting fewer and fewer of them.
anything. What I would like from, mac is a complete package virus, sypwear in
one. I know it is "only $99.00 a year but for that over time I can get both from
third parties and dispose of .mac-Sorry Apple but users want more and why
can't Apple accommodate!
are in desperate need of an anti-virus program (to clean up PC viruses, for
example), try <a href="http://www.clamxav.com/">clamXav</a>.<p>---<br>MacManX<br />
MacMerc Contributing Editor<br />
http://www.macmerc.com<br />
http://www.macmanx.com
ClamXAv is a bit behind the current state of clamav. I've found that clamav builds cleanly on Mac OS X, and calling clamscan and/or freshclam automatically is just a matter of a few minutes light reading, plus writing a simple Bash (or Perl, or Ruby) script and firing it off through a user crontab.
membership.. how long will Good be apple... at an point.. these is the matter of
crisis. Cause, take away the support against virus, and not adding an better
system... Then this is a matter of crisis.. and maybe at least it will end in high
court,.. apple as being responsible ... beacuse of the know how of computer..
well there is a time to explain why apple?s computers dont need a virus detect
system. Yeahh the time is now..
Remember. Apple made an camera. One hit! Then socks and juice..
As You havent seen the whole of me yeat!!?????
br
idisk.mac.com
apealing to Apple, get going make G6.. G5 the best computer ever.. has
nothing to do with speed.. If speed was the theme... Everyone would have
bought an pc..
Think about it. Or tell more.. The info about Intel into apple computer is to
less...
The world need power pc, and that is not an intel!
*** are you babbling about?
yeah...what WAS that? Are you using a translation program? If so, dump it
(translate THAT).
one! I called up Virex, and they told me that their antivirus program was
working as designed and preventing me from getting any viruses in the first
place. It's preventive maintenance, they said. Well that sounded downright
suspicious so I did a little research and discovered an amazing fact: there are
no Mac OS X viruses! Not a one.
So why buy an antivirus program for OS X?
Quote: "So why buy an antivirus program for OS X?"
None. None!! Virex is the electric fork of Mac software: it sounds cool, and it
matches the electric knife, but people continue to purchase it and use it.
Okay, it has one use, and that was mentioned by an earlier poster: fear of
passing on MS Word documents to Windows' users. But that's it, and it's that
specific: 1. Only MS Word docs, and 2. Only to Windows users.
Using Virex is like getting Tsunami insurance while living in Texas: ok, there's a
slim possibility of using it, but how insured do you need to be???
(I'd shout this, but I can't, so here I go with Caps Lock)
PLEASE GIVE US ONE GOOD REASON TO CONTINUE WITH .MAC !!!
Boy was I ever stupid to spend $99. per year in order to keep my .mac mail
address. Face it, that's all .Mac is good for. Freebies? I haven't seen
anything worth downloading in years. Backup is a JOKE. Widgets? WHAT
WIDGETS??? Support? GIVE ME A PHONE NUMBER AND A PERSON TO TALK
TO. Apple is slowly rotting, and the core STINKS.
I for one will be reluctantly changing my mail address this year....
- by drdocument June 20, 2005 8:39 PM PDT
- <class="merchant"><span>></span><div class="datestamp"><i>This is a reply to a previous comment by kbrening</i></div></class><br />
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 2 pages (32 Comments)Here are several reasons I stay with dot-Mac:
? Consistent email address (you never know when your ISP will change names on
you, or when you'll want to change ISP to get a better deal)
? Dot-Mac servers scan and clean malware from email so you won't
inadvertently pass on even Windows troubleware
? Syncronization of my desktop and PowerBook
? iDisk/file sharing/storage
? Backup
? iCards