[R] downloading packages and AntiVirus program

[Ott Toomet]

Hi,

try to download 

http://www.obs.ee/~siim/RODBC_1.0-3

(without .zip) and to rename it to .zip on your own computer.  Perhaps
it helps.

Ott
 | Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 11:28:06 +0100 (BST)
 | From: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding at nessie.mcc.ac.uk>
 | 
 | On 18-Jun-03 RINNER Heinrich wrote:
 | > Dear R-users!
 | > 
 | > I am using R 1.7.0, under Windows XP;
 | > I also have Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000, Norton AntiVirus 7.60.926.
 | > 
 | > Our firewall seems to want to "protect" me from downloading precompiled
 | > packages for Windows.
 | > When I try to download packages, like
 | > http://cran.at.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/1.7/RODBC_1.0-3.zip
 | > for example, I am not allowed to and get a message like this:
 | > 
 | > "The content you just requested had a problem and was blocked by the
 | > Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine based on local administrator settings."
 | > 
 | > I called our network hotline, but they insisted that these files
 | > contain viruses and wouldn't let me download them.
 | 
 | I think you may be a victim of the blind paranoia that is increasingly
 | afflicting system administrators in these virus-prone days. The file
 | you are trying to download is a *.zip file, and you may find that your
 | network admins have simply blocked all ingress of files with a ".zip"
 | extension. I know of sites where ".exe", ".doc", ".xls" etc. are all
 | automatically blocked, regardless of content, simply because _some_
 | such files contain viruses.
 | 
 | As to your network hotline, it seems to me that it is staffed by dumb
 | clucks sitting at terminals consulting their ARS (Action Request System
 | -- I invent not -- which supplies on-line canned answers for user
 | problems).
 | 
 | I don't know what to suggest, if that's what you're up against.
 | 
 | The best of luck.
 | Ted.