I have read many of the topics and posts on the Smart Definitions issue, and the difference between the "Core Set" and the "Complete Set" of definitions.
I believe that I understand...
- The suggestion that Smart Definitions optimizes use of resources (download time and size) for some users;
- The debate on whether or not OLD definitions (present only in the COMPLETE set) are needed;
- The implication that having Smart Definitions turned OFF may generally cause a one-time increase in download (typically during product installation), but that it normally will not affect subsequent Live Updates;
- That other forms of Norton protection can compensate for the absence of those "Old" definitions missing in the Core Set.
However, there is one point missing in the discussions that I have read...
I have seen past references to another difference between CORE and COMPLETE definitions: that the latter includes web protection, heuristic and engine updates. (This was confirmed to me by a Norton technician during a chat session last year.)
So do all the arguments for using Smart Definitions (I.e. just the Core Set) imply that web protection, heuristic and engine updates are not that important?
The question also seems more relevant now that upgrading, say, NAV 2011 to NAV 2012 sets the "Smart Definitions" option ON (possibly even when the user previously had it set OFF).