hi there, I am wondering if avast could have a Distributed Testing service that users could elect to download to test files in the background for potential false positives. Kind of like what spybot does now:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/news/2008-06-13.html
I was just wondering if we could do that, if so, i would like to do that to help avast offer even more reliable updates. 
So can anyone let me know if this is possible? thanks.
The only “anyone” that can give any effect to your proposal are the leaders of the Alwil team.
It is the weekend now … give them time to reflect. Prolonged silence would suggest a negative response to your suggestion.
Hi…
This sounds like a good idea, the more hands and computers going into identifying FP’s couldn’t hurt.
Best Regards…
This is not intended to be rude to the proposer even if it may sound a little harsh. I do have some experience in placing contracts with antivirus companies for the protection of a major enterprise.
The but is the pressure on the avast team to be faster - this is not some tuppenny-ha’penny free product like Spybot - avast is a professional, mission critical, enterprise level protection service. It cannot allow itself to be delayed by the involvement of a bunch of amateurs in delivering up to the minute detection. We, the amateurs and home users, do help - to some extent - in reporting FPs after the event.
I invite you to look at the success rate of the forum users in avast beta testing over the past year or so. We do find some of the more glaring and often just cosmetic issues but I would not call our success rate at preventing important issues from making it to production anywhere near stellar. The users of this forum are quite good testers of the needs of home users - but that is not where Alwil makes the money it needs to keep going. It is avast focusing on the needs of its paying business customers and how to ensure their safety that must trump any number of FPs for the home users.
If the original poster would like a test, go to the European Expert Group for IT Security web site . This page allows you to download a test file to check your antivirus software installation, but please read the disclaimer first.
They were previously known as the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research.
cool. I just thought with this way, more people could help avast without knowing or being advanced in computers. And i do not doubt these forums, i was simply making the suggestion so that avast could be even more better. With this, avast could be even better at detection rates. Thanks for just hearing my suggestion. It was in no way intended to be an insult to avast’s detection rates. I love avast, and i think it is the best antivirus. But i just thought i would give this suggestion so that people could help avast without experienced technical background. It would help keep false positives out of the way, and give even better detection rates. Thanks for hearing my suggestion.
I already am aware of this, thanks. You apparently did not understand what i meant. It’s ok. Seeing the link will explain what i mean…
I am sooooo happy with avast! that I have no suggestions.
May I please make one suggestion? In order to show your appreciation to the folks a Alwil, and if you are using HOME on several computers as I am, order one copy of Professional. I did it and I love it. A nice gesture of your appreciation.