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- Path: sparky!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!sgi!fido!fido!jackr
- From: jackr@wpd.sgi.com (John "Jack" Repenning)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
- Subject: AutoDoubler 2.0 + GK: It Just Keeps Getting Worse
- Date: 16 Dec 92 09:38:43
- Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
- Lines: 92
- Message-ID: <JACKR.92Dec16093843@dblues.wpd.sgi.com>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: dblues.wpd.sgi.com
-
-
- It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and
- worse, doesn't it?
-
- Autodoubler has long carried some really snotty messages to the effect
- that "you must remove GateKeeper before installing Auto Doubler."
- Despite the warnings, and the gyrations needed to get around the AD
- installer, the conflict wasn't too serious: sometimes, AD couldn't
- compress a file, and a copy would be left in a top-level folder called
- "AutoDoubler Rescued Items," or something like that. Once in a while,
- I would trash that folder, but the "original" of the file was always
- in its proper spot.
-
- Now that AutoDoubler 2.0 is out, with its "internal compressor" usable
- on many files in the System Folder, I was eager to wring a bit more
- free space out of my disk, but cautious about conflicts: I feel that
- AutoDoubler is the second most important thing on my system, but
- GateKeeper is number one. I will not sacrifice its protection for
- anything, not even more space. So, I watched my several Mac news
- groups and BBS's, waiting to see if anyone else reported problems. I
- didn't see any such reports (maybe I missed them?), so I figured AD
- had at long last admitted that it had to accommodate GK.
-
- I even checked the documents that come with the program, using a
- friend's copy. The AD 2.0 "Configuring Virus Checkers" document says
- you need GK version 1.2.6 ("or later," though 1.2.6 is presently the
- latest). OK, I have 1.2.6. It also says you need to grant Copy
- Doubler (a part of AD 2.0) certain permissions, "the same as
- AutoDoubler," a kind of back-handed way of claiming that these
- permissions will make things work.
-
- The Impossible Dream!
-
- The snotty installation message is still there. But circumventing it
- is now a Very Bad Idea, because loads of other snotty things are also
- "new and improved" with this version. In fact, AD2.0 causes
- (seemingly) every control panel in my CP folder to futz its resources
- in ways GK does not like. I'm unwilling to grant permissions like
- this to every CP. Even though I trust AD's use of these calls, they
- are indeed "very suspicious activities" (of the very first water) that
- would be just the sort of thing a virus writer would use, and it
- doesn't appear to me that AD has given GK 1.2.6 enough information to
- discern the legitimate calls from the illegitimate.
-
- I called Fifth Generation. Their first tech support person parroted
- the installer's snot. (Is this the legendary quality support that was
- supposed to make us so glad that Fifth Generation had bought Salient?
- I am unimpressed, to say the least!) The second tech support person
- claimed that "for years, we have kept AD compatible with GK" (an
- amazing claim, from a company that's only owned AD for, what is it,
- two months now? And "compatible" is quite a mouthful for what AD was
- before!). The rest of this person's remarks tended toward the claim
- that GK had suddenly become stupider (without an update - very
- impressive!), and FGS was not to be blamed.
-
- I said I wanted my money back. They said, "certainly: ship is back
- the product, mention this number, and we'll refund your purchase
- price." I said, "what about my sales tax and shipping costs?" They
- said, "oh, yes, sales tax, heh, heh, heh. Of course, that too." I
- said, "what about my shipping costs." They said "not for a
- compatibility return." I said, "look, this is a defective product,
- the developers of AutoDoubler have known about the class of problem
- for years, and they have made it worse with this version, either
- through neglect or through pig-headedness. This is not a
- compatibility problem, this is a design defect." In view of those
- blurbs about GK version numbers and settings, it seems like "false
- advertising" might be suggested as well, come to think of it.
-
- They brought in two managers, who contributed the observation that
- "the makers of GateKeeper" (has Chris Johnson been cloned? That's one
- good thing to come out of all this, anyway :-\) "have admitted that
- this was their fault, and would be bringing out a new version." I
- haven't heard of this planned new version, but it would certainly be a
- good thing. Looks pretty hard to do (on the scale of the TuneUp trap
- door, perhaps?). But it doesn't shift the blame.
-
- Well, don't choke now, Fifth Generation Systems, it's not _that_ hard.
- Make sure Chris has whatever information he needs ("she needs"? It
- occurs to me I don't know whether Chris is male or female - sorry,
- Chris!). Make sure s/he has some of your programming resources, if
- that's what's needed (remember which of you is doing this from
- altruism, and which for profit). Make sure you don't change
- whatever's needed in any future version. And make sure _you_ test
- future versions of AD with GK.
-
- Before release.
-
-
-
- Jack Repenning 1-875 jackr@wpd.sgi.com
- Silicon Graphics, Inc. Off:(415) 390-3027
- Visual Magic Division Fax:(415) 390-6056
-