From: jackr@wpd.sgi.com (John "Jack" Repenning)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: AutoDoubler 2.0 + GK: It Just Keeps Getting Worse
Date: 16 Dec 92 09:38:43
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: dblues.wpd.sgi.com


It's like a nightmare, isn't it?  It just keeps getting worse and
worse, doesn't it?  

Autodoubler has long carried some really snotty messages to the effect
that "you must remove GateKeeper before installing Auto Doubler."
Despite the warnings, and the gyrations needed to get around the AD
installer, the conflict wasn't too serious: sometimes, AD couldn't
compress a file, and a copy would be left in a top-level folder called
"AutoDoubler Rescued Items," or something like that.  Once in a while,
I would trash that folder, but the "original" of the file was always
in its proper spot.

Now that AutoDoubler 2.0 is out, with its "internal compressor" usable
on many files in the System Folder, I was eager to wring a bit more
free space out of my disk, but cautious about conflicts: I feel that
AutoDoubler is the second most important thing on my system, but
GateKeeper is number one.  I will not sacrifice its protection for
anything, not even more space.  So, I watched my several Mac news
groups and BBS's, waiting to see if anyone else reported problems.  I
didn't see any such reports (maybe I missed them?), so I figured AD
had at long last admitted that it had to accommodate GK.

I even checked the documents that come with the program, using a
friend's copy.  The AD 2.0 "Configuring Virus Checkers" document says
you need GK version 1.2.6 ("or later," though 1.2.6 is presently the
latest).  OK, I have 1.2.6.  It also says you need to grant Copy
Doubler (a part of AD 2.0) certain permissions, "the same as
AutoDoubler," a kind of back-handed way of claiming that these
permissions will make things work.

The Impossible Dream!

The snotty installation message is still there.  But circumventing it
is now a Very Bad Idea, because loads of other snotty things are also
"new and improved" with this version.  In fact, AD2.0 causes
(seemingly) every control panel in my CP folder to futz its resources
in ways GK does not like.  I'm unwilling to grant permissions like
this to every CP.  Even though I trust AD's use of these calls, they
are indeed "very suspicious activities" (of the very first water) that
would be just the sort of thing a virus writer would use, and it
doesn't appear to me that AD has given GK 1.2.6 enough information to
discern the legitimate calls from the illegitimate.

I called Fifth Generation.  Their first tech support person parroted
the installer's snot.  (Is this the legendary quality support that was
supposed to make us so glad that Fifth Generation had bought Salient?
I am unimpressed, to say the least!)  The second tech support person
claimed that "for years, we have kept AD compatible with GK" (an
amazing claim, from a company that's only owned AD for, what is it,
two months now?  And "compatible" is quite a mouthful for what AD was
before!).  The rest of this person's remarks tended toward the claim
that GK had suddenly become stupider (without an update - very
impressive!), and FGS was not to be blamed.

I said I wanted my money back.  They said, "certainly: ship is back
the product, mention this number, and we'll refund your purchase
price."  I said, "what about my sales tax and shipping costs?"  They
said, "oh, yes, sales tax, heh, heh, heh.  Of course, that too."  I
said, "what about my shipping costs."  They said "not for a
compatibility return."  I said, "look, this is a defective product,
the developers of AutoDoubler have known about the class of problem
for years, and they have made it worse with this version, either
through neglect or through pig-headedness.  This is not a
compatibility problem, this is a design defect."  In view of those
blurbs about GK version numbers and settings, it seems like "false
advertising" might be suggested as well, come to think of it.

They brought in two managers, who contributed the observation that
"the makers of GateKeeper" (has Chris Johnson been cloned?  That's one
good thing to come out of all this, anyway :-\) "have admitted that
this was their fault, and would be bringing out a new version."  I
haven't heard of this planned new version, but it would certainly be a
good thing.  Looks pretty hard to do (on the scale of the TuneUp trap
door, perhaps?).  But it doesn't shift the blame.

Well, don't choke now, Fifth Generation Systems, it's not _that_ hard.
Make sure Chris has whatever information he needs ("she needs"?  It
occurs to me I don't know whether Chris is male or female - sorry,
Chris!).  Make sure s/he has some of your programming resources, if
that's what's needed (remember which of you is doing this from
altruism, and which for profit).  Make sure you don't change
whatever's needed in any future version.  And make sure _you_ test
future versions of AD with GK.

Before release.



Jack Repenning			1-875	     jackr@wpd.sgi.com
Silicon Graphics, Inc.		            Off:(415) 390-3027
Visual Magic Division			    Fax:(415) 390-6056
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system