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The problem is that anti-virus software is not a normal application, it is a weird, very complex kind of parasite that burrows deep into the operating system. T

The problem is that anti-virus software is not a normal application, it is a weird, very complex kind of parasite that burrows deep into the operating system. This means Microsoft must be very careful, lest the parasite unintentionally kill the host.

deleted 9y ago
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DarronWyke 9y ago
Symbiont. The word you're looking for is symbiont, not parasite. A symbiont lives in harmony with the host, exchanging something in exchange for the resource it consumes (in this case protection). A parasite just takes, and gives nothing back to the host. (Of course, let's ignore the obvious joke about some AV solutions like Symantec.)
- cwyers 9y ago
  Given your definitions, I'm pretty sure commercial AV is just parasites.
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    Yeah, the distinction between a symbiont and a parasite is mostly of degree, not kind, and AV software these days is increasingly being found on the blurry line between the two.
vidanay 9y ago
Typically, that would be called "a virus"
- Piskvorrr 9y ago
  No. "Symbiote," likely; "parasite," perhaps. "Virus," not at all.
- TazeTSchnitzel 9y ago
  Can a virus make its host dependant on it?