Comments on: The Big Panda tries an evolutionary breakthrough

By: Salem

Salem — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Think of it like this; every file thats scanned while you are connected to your computer is checked with the latest list of virus definitions available. The local cache only has the most recent definitions, however, and does not include any older threats, or anything deemed 'outdated.' Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Secondly, (Michael, correct me if I'm terribly wrong), I believe a portion of the actual scanning itself is done in the cloud; a signature is taken from the file, sent to the cloud, checked, and any positives are returned, hence the ridiculously small load on your computer. Salem´s last blog post..Meet the Spy video; leaked!

By: Goyta' F. Villela Jr.

Goyta' F. Villela Jr. — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:02:40 +0000

If a local copy is kept, what’s the point in looking it up in the cloud? A local lookup will always be faster, even if you have the most dizzying fast Internet connection in the world. So, what’s the advantage of that instead of frequent updates? (Norton 2009 is said to be updating the virus database every 5-10 minutes!)

By: Salem

Salem — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:17:45 +0000

Sorry about that I couldn’t resist, could I?

Salem´s last blog post..Wolfram Alpha: the answer to all your questions

By: Michael Aulia

Michael Aulia — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:56:24 +0000

Hey Salem, you beat me to it I was about to answer that there is a local copy kept when the internet access is down.

Although nowadays, a day without an internet is like a day without the electricity!

By: Salem

Salem — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:07:16 +0000

I was worried about the same thing; apparently, a local copy is kept for that reason, in the event that you should lose internet, although I'm fairly certain that it isn't a complete backup. Salem´s last blog post..my week in tweets (2009-05-17)