Re: Updating scanners and filters in Debian stable (3.1)

[paddy <paddy@panici.net>]

Andi,

On Fri, Oct 08, 2004 at 03:15:29PM +0200, Andreas Barth wrote:
> * paddy (paddy@panici.net) [041008 15:10]:
> > What are the pros and cons for volatile-{stable,release,or-whatever-you-call-it}
> > as an all-at-once release model, rather than a rolling-when-its-ready 
> > model more like security.d.o ?
> 
> well, not exactly an "all at once", but having not just a random minor
> update to pop up every day is IMHO a great feature for system
> administrators - they're not forced into additional update rounds.

On providing a mechanism to limit the rate at which updates present, 
I agree.  I would hope that could be acheived having a structure parallel
to upstream release structure. 

If volatile-stable included as a criterion time-served three months 
(pick a number, archive wide or perhaps per source package),
I believe it could prove a wise choice of mechanism: familiar, 
cheap to implement, and a good proxy for some desirable qualities.

I don't understand 'forced into additional update rounds'.

Choice is good, information is good, freedom from choice can also be good.
But if I had to choose between these, then, yes, a good spot between the
spring and the sea.

> > Does anybody want to use a three month old clamav ? 
> > (with up-to-date definitions of course)
> > Why?
> 
> I do. Why: Because there is no reason to update it more often.

My reason for the converse (for me that is) is simple:

  clamav may (and does) catch something that other scanners do not.
  up-to-date-ness can be critical in this case, and thus represents
  a substantial portion of the whole value.

I certainly don't wish to pry, and I can't fault "don't fix it if
it ain't broken".  I'm explaining what I do with clamav, and thus,
I hope, my appetite for up-to-date-ness. So, 
 
  In what use-cases is a three-month clamav good, a two-year-old clamav 
  not, and newer not interesting?  What does it do?

I hope that by asking and answering such questions, light could
usefully be shed on a volatile.d.n. endeavour.

Regards,


Paddy