Dr. Alan Solomon



Alan Solomon is definitely one of the prominent figures in antiviral research, with significant responsibility for the success of both CARO (the Computer Antivirus Research Organization) and EICAR (the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research). After founding S & S International in 1983 to produce software for MS-DOS machines, he developed expertise in data recovery. Thus it was that he was one of the first in the UK to start dealing with viruses when they arrived on the scene. He details the story of his subsequent work in the book "PC Viruses", published by Springer-Verlag. (Dr. Solomon's listings of MS-DOS viruses and their characteristics have always combined the best of the comprehensiveness of the Hoffman summary with the detail and accuracy of the Virus Test Center catalogue. Formerly only available as part of the Toolkit, it is now available as "Dr. Solomon's Virus Encyclopedia".) Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit, despite the medicine show sounding name, is certainly one of the finest antiviral packages available.

His divestiture of management responsibility for S & S International (now, ironically, renamed Dr. Solomon's Software Ltd.) seems to have been conditional on the acceptance of a contract to provide an ongoing Usenet "presence". This was a substantial factor in the conversion of alt.comp.virus from a vx hangout to a useful information resource. It has also been a constant source of delight to those of us who now much more frequently enjoy "Dr. Solly's" sharp and sometimes acerbic wit.

Those who explore the less formal, and more freewheeling, discussions on alt.comp.virus will find frequent in-joke references to things like "Dr. Solomon's socks". The "who wrote" reference is now a running gag based on Alan's vain attempts to cull facts out of Doren Rosenthal's vague postings in regard to the "Virus Simulator". (The only point that Doren would be clear on was that he wrote it.) Dr. Solomon has provided his own take on the more active (or, at least, vocal) members of alt.comp.virus.


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