Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: CAH0@gte.com (Chuck Hoffman) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Re: virus analogy Message-ID: <0012.9008301334.AA25774@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 27 Aug 90 14:45:11 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 29 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu SYSBXR@SUVM.ACS.SYR.EDU (Bridget Rutty) writes: > > In the situation described, there is no informed consent and to my > mind such a program is no different than the virus with which it > competes. I agree with Bridget. In this thread, many responses wandered off onto the technical issues, but this was not the point. In our culture, it is not accepted to "help" someone without their informed consent. And this means more than just putting some text and an "OK" button up on a screen prior to execution. I think that understanding this principle is a real task for younger programmers, especially those just entering their full adulthood. They have spent their lives receiving "help" from people without giving consent, like parents, teachers, and the like. They have no way of knowing how special a case they were because they were not yet fully enabled to give judgement and consent. It's a new business, all of this, about how important it is to get another adult's informed permission first, before helping. Although this understanding will come with time, much of the code these days is being written by those who have not yet developed this understanding, and who do not have technical supervision from those who have. As a group, our technology may be ahead of our personal maturing processes. Chuck Hoffman, GTE Laboratories, Inc. ! I'm not sure why we're here, cah0@bunny.gte.com ! but I am sure that while Telephone (U.S.A.) 617-466-2131 ! we're here, we're supposed GTE VoiceNet: 679-2131 ! to help each other. GTE Telemail: C.HOFFMAN !