GNU / Linux based Anti Virus Software!

[Steve Evans]

They don't charge per user for Windows machines?  Yeah they do.  Not for
Windows 2000 Pro.  But put up a Windows 2000 file server.  You have to
buy a CAL (Client Access License) which means you have to buy a license
for each user.  Same with Exchange 2000, SQL 2000, etc.  You buy iPlanet
Mail Server, they want to know how many users you'll have on the mail
server and they'll charge you per user.  The mail gateway doesn't have
any users, but it's protecting a certain number of users.  It wouldn't
be fair to charge a mail gateway that protects 100 users the same as a
mail gateway that protects 1000, or 10,000 users would it?

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Rose, Bobby [mailto:brose at MED.WAYNE.EDU] 
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2002 2:20 PM
To: MAILSCANNER at JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Re: GNU / Linux based Anti Virus Software!


It's stupid licensing to charge per user anyway for unix.  They don't
charge per user for Windows machines.  Virus protection isn't protecting
the user, it's protecting the machine.  It's the machine that gets
infected and spreads virus not the user.  The user is just a carrier.

Then you get into the concept of mail gateway's which typically don't
have any users.  The concept of charging per user protected which was
one statement from a Symantec reseller for their Nav for Gateways.  Yeh
right, it's a gateway that scanning incoming and outgoing mail and if
you relay for a large domain especially educational environments, then
there isn't any way you could ever know how many users.  I don't think
the AV folks have a clue about their own licensing and salespeople say
whatever they think the licensing might mean.  Whenever I checked for
products to do what mailscanner does, I got different answers or that
they would have to check with someone else.

My 2 cents.

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Evans [mailto:sevans at FOUNDATION.SDSU.EDU] 
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2002 10:54 AM
To: MAILSCANNER at JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Re: GNU / Linux based Anti Virus Software!


My feeling is of course they charge per user.  I don't know of many
licensing schemes that don't charge per user.
 
Steve

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Rishi Gangoly [mailto:rishi at THEARGONCOMPANY.COM] 
        Sent: Sat 2/16/2002 6:56 AM 
        To: MAILSCANNER at JISCMAIL.AC.UK 
        Cc: 
        Subject: Re: GNU / Linux based Anti Virus Software!
	
	

        > At 18:20 15/02/2002, you wrote:
        > >Is MailScanner planning to get OpenAntiVirus to work as one
for the
        > >scanners?
        >
        > At some point, yes. However, I don't think it is urgent as I
don't really
        > believe that many large sites will trust their anti-virus
support to an
        > open-source project with voluntarily-supplied updates. The
crucial bit in
        > virus support these days is that you can get updates for your
package
        > within a few hours of a virus being seen in the wild for the
first time,
        > and I don't really believe that a voluntary project can
achieve the sort
        of
        > speed you can manage by paying people to sit there all day
writing virus
        > updates.
        > --
        > Julian Field                Teaching Systems Manager
	
	
        True, but what I'm most disappointed about all the Anti Virus
companies is
        that they charge for their Linux command line scanner per
mailbox, which is
        nuts.
	
        I can't afford to pay for 800 mailboxes (and growing) on my
Cobalt Domain
        that I host with for all my customers. I am currently Virtual
Hosting on the
        Cobalt RaQ3 server for about 16 - 20 domains.
	
        All Anti Virus companies have in their license agreements a
clause saying
        it's fine to use it for a Server but not for Mail Server (i.e.
SMTP not
        allowed)
	
        If I use it to scan mailboxes, they want to DING us big time.
	
        Is what I'm saying true?
	
        My Customers can't afford to pay per mailbox.
	
        What are your thoughts?
	
        Regards
	
        Rishi