[Same old linux AV discussion thread] was Re: A little confused

[Nils Kassube]

NoOp wrote:
> On 08/29/2010 10:56 PM, Nils Kassube wrote:
> > James Takac wrote:
> >> On Monday 30 August 2010 05:30:03 Ioannis Vranos wrote:
> >> > I am not going to install an antivirus in my Linux host, in case
> >> > I forward some document with virus to some Windows user.
> >> > 
> >> > It is their responsibility to have an antivirus on their
> >> > machines, or to change their OS.
> >> 
> >> Whilst it may be their responsibility to check their end it
> >> doesn't negate the sender's responsibility to check what they
> >> send is safe. It'd be like giving a poisoned glass of water to a
> >> thirsty person and saying they should have checked it. Likewise
> >> so should you as the one giving it.
> > 
> > But you don't make a chemical analysis of the water you get from
> > someone else before you give it to a thirsty person, do you? Well,
> > maybe you check that it doesn't smell like gasoline or that it
> > tastes like water. But that would be the analogy for opening the
> > document before giving it away. Of course I don't give away things
> > where I know it is (only) a virus and not the expected contents,
> > but I don't accept the obligation to carry the burden and check
> > everything for hidden Windows viruses that don't affect my
> > machine. After all one of the reasons for using Linux is that I
> > don't want to slow down my machine with unnecessary antivirus
> > software.
> 
> Using an on-demand linux AV doesn't slow down anything until you
> perform the scan. Be reasonable; there *are* non-commercial
> environments (as mentioned in my previous posts in this thread) that
> make installing & using an linux AV *does* make sense.

Correct, there are reasons for running AV on Linux machines. But 
scanning outgoing mail is not one of them IMHO.


Nils