Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!tybalt.caltech.edu!chi From: chi@tybalt.caltech.edu (chi-bo) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: Hilarious Disinfectant 2.0 Message-ID: <1990Jul16.035427.27839@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu> Date: 16 Jul 90 03:54:27 GMT References: <9751@accuvax.nwu.edu> <1990Jul16.032446.15840@swbatl.sbc.com> Sender: chi@tybalt.caltech.edu Distribution: na Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Lines: 33 In article <1990Jul16.032446.15840@swbatl.sbc.com> george@swbatl.UUCP (George D. Nincehelser) writes: > >Yeesh! I don't like the direction this is going. John wrote a >wonderful and useful program and is giving it away free for the >benefit off all, yet some folks are bitching about a measly 20K >of disk space! > >John, Disinfectant is great! The about box is fine! Keep up the >good work! I'm sure we all appreciate it! I'd like to personally agree with all of the previous statements. >Now, to anyone thinking of mucking up John's program to fit their >personal taste: DON'T DO IT!!!! There is no good reason to cut out >20K of code. If space is a problem, put Disinfectant on its own >disk. A bootable floppy with Disinfectant alone is a good idea anyway! > >If people start changing Disinfectant, we *will* start to have problems. >No longer could one be sure if they had the clean, original version. >Kind of defeats the purpose of a virus protection program, doesn't it? If somebody changes Disinfectant, they themselves will have a problem. Recall that Disinfectant does a checksum on itself to verify that it has not been corrupted. Any change to the program will result in a wrong checksum computation. Any utility changing Disinfectant in such a way as to allow the change (ie by changing the checksum routine) runs the risk of allowing somebody to more easily decipher the checksum, thereby defeating that mechanism in the first place. --- chi@tybalt.caltech.edu delta chi Disclaimer: hey! I don't know what I'm talking about!