From: David H. Lipman on
From: "John Slade" <hhitman86(a)pacbell.net>

| On 8/4/2010 2:48 PM, FromTheRafters wrote:
>> "John Slade"<hhitman86(a)pacbell.net> wrote in message
>> news:J3j6o.48696$3%3.27633(a)newsfe23.iad...

>> [...]

>>> I know exactly what I'm talking about. So tell me what tools do
>>> you use to remove worms and trojans from computers? Are any of them
>>> called "Anti-Virus" software?

>> Yes, but that is beside the point.

| No that's the point entirely. The word "virus" is
| acceptable to just about everyone except a few anal retentive
| people who love to go around correcting everyone.

Its is ONLY accecpted by the "uneducated" person. The ones who get infected!


--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp


From: Wolf K on
On 05/08/2010 17:23, David H. Lipman wrote:
[...]
> I'm sorry, just because the "average" person calls all malware a "virus" does not make it
> correct and if you insist on following this train of thought, please do NOT call yourself
> a "professional."
>
>


Yeah, well,context rules. No matter how carefully people use terminology
in their professional lives, words will escape into the wild, and then
all bets are off.

It's context that determines a word's meaning. In every-day usage,
"anti-virus" has come to mean what "anti-malware" means in a
professional context. That's just the way it is. The first rule of
communication is "Adapt to your audience."

cheers,
wolf k.
From: David H. Lipman on
From: "Wolf K" <wekirch(a)sympatico.ca>

| On 05/08/2010 17:23, David H. Lipman wrote:
| [...]
>> I'm sorry, just because the "average" person calls all malware a "virus" does not make
>> it
>> correct and if you insist on following this train of thought, please do NOT call
>> yourself
>> a "professional."




| Yeah, well,context rules. No matter how carefully people use terminology
| in their professional lives, words will escape into the wild, and then
| all bets are off.

| It's context that determines a word's meaning. In every-day usage,
| "anti-virus" has come to mean what "anti-malware" means in a
| professional context. That's just the way it is. The first rule of
| communication is "Adapt to your audience."

You can't call all malware a virus just beciuse you use anti virus software. It doesn't
work that way and is a miconception and misnomer.

If a majority of people have a misperception of a concept, their majority does not change
the concept.


--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp


From: Wolf K on
On 05/08/2010 17:42, David H. Lipman wrote:
> From: "Wolf K"<wekirch(a)sympatico.ca>
>
> | On 05/08/2010 17:23, David H. Lipman wrote:
> | [...]
>>> I'm sorry, just because the "average" person calls all malware a "virus" does not make
>>> it
>>> correct and if you insist on following this train of thought, please do NOT call
>>> yourself
>>> a "professional."
>
>
>
>
> | Yeah, well,context rules. No matter how carefully people use terminology
> | in their professional lives, words will escape into the wild, and then
> | all bets are off.
>
> | It's context that determines a word's meaning. In every-day usage,
> | "anti-virus" has come to mean what "anti-malware" means in a
> | professional context. That's just the way it is. The first rule of
> | communication is "Adapt to your audience."
>
> You can't call all malware a virus just because you use anti virus software. It doesn't
> work that way and is a misconception and misnomer.
>
> If a majority of people have a misperception of a concept, their majority does not change
> the concept.
>
>

Quite true, but I'm not talking about the concept, I'm talking about
words. Words refer. What they refer to is governed by context.

One of the most difficult things for professionals to accept is that
their professional context is, well, limited. Most people aren't
professionals, but that doesn't stop them from borrowing professional
terms. And of course when they borrow, they change the referents of the
terms. You can scold all you like about misperceptions (and I do
sympathise, believe me), but the fact is that the terms "anti-virus" and
"virus" applied to computers have become generalised in common usage.

Fact is that it happens in all professions. Professionals develop
special and precise terminology, their work impinges on the rest of us,
and we borrow their terms. And immediately fudge, fuzz, and often
thoroughly misunderstand the concepts. Most of the time, it makes no
practical difference.

FWIW, my teeth grate when I hear people use "substitute" for "replace",
or "reticent" for "hesitant", or - well, you get the idea. I hope. ;-)

Can I stop people form misusing these words. 'Course not.

wolf k.
From: David H. Lipman on
From: "Wolf K" <wekirch(a)sympatico.ca>



| Quite true, but I'm not talking about the concept, I'm talking about
| words. Words refer. What they refer to is governed by context.

| One of the most difficult things for professionals to accept is that
| their professional context is, well, limited. Most people aren't
| professionals, but that doesn't stop them from borrowing professional
| terms. And of course when they borrow, they change the referents of the
| terms. You can scold all you like about misperceptions (and I do
| sympathise, believe me), but the fact is that the terms "anti-virus" and
| "virus" applied to computers have become generalised in common usage.

| Fact is that it happens in all professions. Professionals develop
| special and precise terminology, their work impinges on the rest of us,
| and we borrow their terms. And immediately fudge, fuzz, and often
| thoroughly misunderstand the concepts. Most of the time, it makes no
| practical difference.

| FWIW, my teeth grate when I hear people use "substitute" for "replace",
| or "reticent" for "hesitant", or - well, you get the idea. I hope. ;-)

| Can I stop people form misusing these words. 'Course not.

True, however one must not lose the opportunity to educate. If you don't, well you have
given them reason to continue.

--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp