Why is the standalone virdef file 22Mb big?

[anothermack]

Hello,

I was wondering why the doanloadable virus definition file is 22Mb big?  I am on dial-up and therefore Mb-size does matter in my life :-)

Latest program update was hardly a month ago, and i am sure the sum of all virdef additions since then do not add up to 22Mb?

It used to be a rather smaller file in the past, in the range of a few Mb's if i remember well.

Thanks any explanation,

Brgds
mack

[DavidR]

Because it is very large no great mystery, when you are talking about all the virus signatures in the database, many tens of thousands of them.

You aren't downloading an incremental update but the complete VPS and I would have to ask why you are doing that ?

Rather than allow avast auto updates take care of the VPS updates as this is incremental and can be measured in KBs rather than MBs.

[RejZoR]

Just get install file from magazine disc or someone else and then let avast! to auto update itself.
This way you conserve quite a bit of transfers. Because daily updates usually measure way below 100KB!

[Lisandro]

Other antivirus that releases full definition package, like Symantec, also have huge size downloads.

[anothermack]

Thanks guys,

Yes I know other vendors also have huge files (if they offer virdef downloads at all). Nevertheless I wonder why the buld of the virdefs can not be included in the main .exe. download.  How far do these virdefs go back (until which installation package).

I was thinking it might be a way to push on-line updates as that is much more interesting if any one would like to transmit info about the pc to home.

Brgds
mack

[RejZoR]

I don't quite understand what you mean. Virus definitions included in installer itself are as old as ALWIL company itself.
The upper part is updated here and there so even when you install avast! from scratch, you get pretty new virus definitions, which of course have to be updated since new updates come daily. Updating full installer daily on servers is a huge waste of bandwidth, thats why they're not doing that. Anything you download extra through updater is very small. It's the same for all antiviruses.

[igor]

Virus definitions included in installer itself are as old as ALWIL company itself.

A bit confusing expression 
Virus definitions included in the installer itself are as old as the program version it installs; sometimes the installers are updates with new virus database, but only quite rarely.

Yes, the virus database grew quite big over the years - because many virus detection have been added. And since the VpsUpd file is as big as the virus database itself (because it contains the whole of it), it's big, too.

And that's why incremental virus database updates were invented

[RejZoR]

I meant the first sample definition in it is as old as your company. Naturally new defs were added through all these years, months, weeks and days

[Lisandro]

And that's why incremental virus database updates were invented

I wish you think the same for Linux and Mac...

[igor]

I do... don't know why it wasn't released yet.

[anothermack]

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

Thank you Avast for providing free uncrippled antimalware security at home.

Free non-organic or non-natural things are rare.

Brgds,
mack

(edited: I ment antimalware, not antivirus!)