X1 and how software is such a complex business

I downloaded the X1 trial today, after reading about it in Chris Sells Spout. The product allows you to search inside files & email, giving you the taste of WinFS today. So far using it has been so amazing, I think the product needs to become a platform and should have its own SDK (haven't checked if it does).

But anyway I had to write my first email to customer service:

Virus in attachment disclosed by X1?

Hello,

Just a few minutes after installing X1, the antivirus starts seeing viruses in the c:\documents and settings\username\local settings\temp\x1 folder. It was really frightening at first. I though X1 was downloading viruses to my computer. But after a couple of seconds I realized that X1 must be copying all file attachments from my emails to its temp folder in order to index them. Of course, those files are coming to the surface for the first time. Until now they were blocked both by email client and by me.

I am guessing your software must be using some kind of custom parser for the PST files to achieve the best performance, so the parser gets access to attachments that would be otherwise blocked.

Right now I don't know what, but you should do something soon to avoid doing this, or you will scare your customers all around world.

Regards,

Diego.

Updated on Sat Apr 24. I received email from X1 today:

Hi Diego,

You’re good and you’re right about fixing that. In our latest build, that shouldn’t happen any more.

Sorry for the scare. I’m glad it’s working well for you beyond that!

Rob McClinton
Director of Customer Care
X1 Technologies

I am glad to help!