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Question: I have jus bought a acer one linux netbook i cant get antivirus installed in it?

(Posted by: hunni1410 on 2009-02-10 12:30:46)

It wont install software an i cant open any products that i install, can u please ive me step by step on how to get it fixed so i can put antivirus an get it up in running, i have tried WINE but cant get it to open up so can install it thanks

Posted by: Plague on 2009-02-12, 04:28:59

First of all, which Linux Distro are you using? (Ubuntu, Suse, Mandrake for instance) Second - if you are installing Anti-virus through habit as a Windows user, you will probably find that there isnt any need for anti-virus on a linux machine. There are very few viruses on the Linux platform - for a variety of reasons that I wont bore you with but suffice to say you are a LOT safer from viruses in Linux - there are hardly any at all. Plus the way the system works makes it much harder for viruses to run anyway. Most of the Anti-virus apps for Linux are designed for systems which are connected to or serve windows based machines and its to protect them or the network rather than the Linux machine itself. Also, think of WINE as more of a compatibility layer - its not a good idea to run system administration software such as AV in WINE. It either wont work or wont have any effect - its more for games and general applications. Lastly, installing software is a lot different in Linux depending on which 'flavour' you're running. Most versions have a built in package manager (Ubuntu's is very friendly) which allows you to browse and search applications and install them with just a few clicks. You can download these programs manually if you want to but its harder until you know what you're doing - especially if they are .bin files (Binary files) or need compiling, so best to avoid those for the moment. Try and find your package manager - in Ubuntu its simply listed as Add/ Remove in your task bar, or the more advanced version 'Synaptic' is available in your system >administration menu (if memory serves). you should be fine with add/ remove however for most things! Hope that helps!

Posted by: Justin F on 2009-02-10, 12:40:30

Hi, I am not that great with linux, however one of my buddies has been a software engineer for 37 years and he loves linux. If you don't find your answer here you can find him in the linux forum found tech-101.com/ linux/ I am sure he is itching to answer a linux question - as nobody has even asked on these forums yet - he uses the name jobeard.

Posted by: vikingnoise on 2009-02-10, 12:44:36

You don't want to run antivirus software inside WINE. It won't be near as effective because antivirus is designed for a specific OS; emulation doesn't let the antivirus do all that it needs to do. Linux doesn't need virus protection as desperately as Windows does, primarily because virus writers are aiming at the largest user-base. If you want antivirus for Linux, you can check out AVG's Linux installer, Clam, and a few others designed specifically for it.