p1@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca (Rob Slade) (03/02/91)
Comparison Review
Company and product:
Parsons Technology
375 Collins Road NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
USA
319-395-9626
Virucide
Summary:
Menu driven scanning and disinfecting program, apparently written by
McAfee Associates. Recommended for novice or intermediate users in non-
critical situations, or as "first line" defence.
Cost US $49.00
Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
"Friendliness"
Installation
Ease of use 4
Help systems 3
Compatibility 3
Company
Stability 2
Support 4
Documentation 3
Hardware required 4
Performance 3
Availability 3
Local Support ?
General Description:
A simple and relatively inexpensive virus scanning and disinfecting
program. The menu driven interface provides a number of useful options,
including on-screen virus information.
Comparison of features and specifications
User Friendliness
Installation
Installation is clear and straightforward, being simply the copying of
the program and related files to the appropriate disk or area. Although
the manual indicates installation is to be done from drive A:, it can be
performed from any drive, and to any drive, including floppies.
Installation takes a longer time than one might think, given the
elementary copying operation, but the installation program is clear and
"well prompted".
Ease of use
Operation is easier than the manual indicates. The default settings are
well chosen, and although there are command line switches and options
that can be set on screen, they merely provide alternate avenues to the
same operations. All options are available as menu items, and the menu
interface provides a sense of being "in command" with all functions at
the user's fingertips. Prompts are clear and informative.
The "3-D windowing", although attractive, does, at times, clutter the
screen and distract from the functionality by overlaying and higlighting
portions of the menus that are not currently being used.
Help systems
There is no "help" per se, but the program is easy enough to use that
this should not be a problem. One decided advantage is the "Virus Info"
window, which provides a list of viri, and will bring up two or three
paragraphs of information on selected viri. While useful to a novice or
intermdiate user, this function does not require extensive disk space,
as it is simply a "boilerplate" expansion of the McAfee VIRINFO.TXT
table which is supplied with the disk. (Indeed, do not make the mistake
of deleting this file under the impression that it serves no purpose.)
Compatibility
Virucide will detect all of the most common viri, and is roughly "level"
in that regard to most commercial products, although it lags behind such
scanners as SCAN and FPROT. Given the association between Virucide and
McAfee Associates, this is rather odd. (Version 2.0 of Virucide is
dated January 28, 1991, but the copyright date on the VIRINFO.TXT file
is 1989.) However, a "current" version of Virucide should prove
effective against better than 99% of viri encountered.
Company Stability
Parson's Technology is a mid sized software distribution house, with a
very wide selection of products.
Company Support
Of the first group of commercial vendors contacted, Virucide was the
first product actually received for review. Having received the May
1990 version in December, I received the January 1991 version in mid
February as a "free upgrade". I have seen numerous references by users
of other Parsons' products to superior customer service.
Documentation
The documentation is clear and concise, but at times makes the product
appear to be more difficult to use than is actually the case. There is
no general discussion of viral operation.
Hardware Requirements
No special hardware required.
Performance
As above, Virucide has no particular strengths, or weaknesses, in speed
of operation or numbers of viri detected.
Local Support
No provisions.
Support Requirements
For general installation and operation, Virucide should not need any
support. The novice user should be able to use the system as is, and
the intermediate user will be able to make better use of the options
available.
General Notes
The only advantage that the advanced user will find in Virucide is the
"Virus Info" window as a "ready reference". However, as a "quick check"
for novice or intermediate users, the product deserves consideration.
copyright Robert M. Slade 1991
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