Re: Mac OS X firewall/viruses

tacit <tacitr@xxxxxxx> wrote in news:tacitr-3F1D2B.19111331072005@news-
server2.tampabay.rr.com:

> In article <gGaHe.45$ps5.693@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Ricky" <rickydontlivehere@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Would antivirus software slow down a 500 mhz G4 with a gig
>> of ram much? If not, why not use it just in case?
>
> "Just in case"? Remember, an antivirus program is not magic. It only
> protects against KNOWN viruses. There are no known OS X viruses. Zero.
> Zip. Nada. Nothing. Not one.

> If oyu put antivirus software on your computer today, and a new virus
> comes out tomorrow, you are not protected. Not even a little bit. The
> protection AV software will offer you to that new virus is zero. So it
> does not help "just in case."

The part about protecting only against known viruses is simply not true. In
addition to detecting known viruses, some anti-virus programs detect virus-
like activity (spawning, etc.) and report the activity as suspicious. This
feature can sometimes detect virus activity from viruses that have not yet
been added to the antivirus definititions. For more info, google
heuristics.
.