Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!csccat!loci From: loci@csccat.UUCP (Chuck Brunow) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: Re: Are these binaries "safe"? Message-ID: <1951@csccat.UUCP> Date: 10 Aug 88 00:41:49 GMT References: <4774@csli.STANFORD.EDU> <30587@clyde.ATT.COM> <8475@ihlpb.ATT.COM> <727@ns.UUCP> Reply-To: loci@csccat.UUCP (Chuck Brunow) Organization: Loci Products Lines: 48 In article <727@ns.UUCP> ddb@ns.UUCP (David Dyer-Bennet) writes: >In article <8475@ihlpb.ATT.COM>, nevin1@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Liber) writes: >> b) Are trying to trick the net into sending you a virus. >> >> In which case under no circumstances should you be allowed to study a >> virus. > > I'm sorry, but I'm getting REALLY sick of this attitude, which >I've been seeing here and on Fidonet for the last few years. I >believe in viruses in theory, and I believe that they exist in >pracice, but I've never actually seen any evidence for their >existence. > What you are saying is that anybody who expresses interest in >seeing a virus is a fool or a criminal; this is blatant nonsese. Some >of us want to see viruses out of scientific curiosity, and some of us >have been trying to get somebody to send one for YEARS, simply to get >some sort of objective estimate of their real frequency. > Based on several years of this, the only statement about viruses I >could support with any kind of evidence is "Viruses don't exist". >Since I don't believe that statement, it bothers me that it's the only >one I can offer support for. >-- Don't rock the boat! If viruses really existed, they would be an indication of the skill of computer users exceeding the skill of manufacturer's product designers and clearly mere users don't have the clout of said manufacturers so they can't be better. Even a fool or a criminal can understand that! Scientific curiousity is dangerous to the public order and must not be allowed to survive. This is generally true, as can be seen by all the terrible things that have resulted from it, and is especially true of computers because only experts can fully appreciate the financial and security concerns involved. It is far better to stop all curiosity than to allow even one potential abuser and risk embarrassment to those patriotic high-priests who make decisions for us all. If you have wasted years on this frivolous pursuit, you have a lot to atone for. As pentence, you should memorize the complete text of the prototype of modern law and order today, The Nuremberg Laws of the early 1930's. And remember, "might makes right". -- CLBrunow - ka5sof clb@loci.uucp, loci@csccat.uucp, loci@killer.dallas.tx.us Loci Products, POB 833846-131, Richardson, Texas 75083