???
i was wondering
wont the AVAST 4 program continue to get BIGGER in file size for “downloads” since more and more viruses continue to come along? It will need more info therefore the file size of the program will continue to get bigger and bigger???
or is there a trick to this?
if it gets bigger ,how big does it get???
umm le tme knows 
so? umm everyone forgot bout me???
cries 
littlemamas,
Yes and No…
Since many new viruses are derivatives or off-shoots of existing virii, AVAST simply modifes and updates the definitions the scan engine uses, making it more efficient as far as increasing file size goes.
However, in time, the size of the database must increase, but there is no other way to offer full protection.
The AVAST Team will update/overwrite older viruses with new information, and add new ones that are “borne”.
Another excellent feature of AVAST is its’ heuristic scan which helps with “in the wild” virii. If you are not familiar with the term heuristic…
Simply it means: If it walks like a duck, and quakes like a duck…then it must be a duck.
Avast uses a heuristic scan to watch for “new” suspect files which “fit” the pattern of a virus. They may not always be a true (positive) virus, but it still is better to err on the side of caution.
Happy Avasting!
;D
littlemamas,
the trick is in ‘differential’ updating.
Lets say that today we have these definitions in VPS file:
sig A, sig B, sig C.
The next update would have:
sig A, sig D, sig B, sig C.
Instead of sending the whole update, we send only info:
read old file, copy 1 sig, insert sig D, copy 2 sigs, save new file.
The same applies to program files.
littlemamas,
War is over! ;D
Techie and kubecj said everything 8)