Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!linus!nixbur!nixpbe!peun33!mboen From: mboen@nixdorf.de (Martin Boening) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: TOS 2.0 Keywords: TOS NEODESK DCDESKTOP ROMS Message-ID: Date: 17 Nov 90 12:30:15 GMT References: <35495@cup.portal.com> <1238@digi.lonestar.org> <1990Nov06.213749.13906@ecst.csuchico.edu> <1271@digi.lonestar.org> Sender: news@nixpbe.nixdorf.de Lines: 52 In <1271@digi.lonestar.org> rgoseweh@digi.lonestar.org (Roy Gosewehr) writes: >Yes, I ALWAYS power up with a disk in Drive A. It is my own "standard >drive holder disk" :-) which is guaranteed to not have a virus on it. And >with a disk in A, I boot from the hard disk MUCH MUCH faster! Try it - >you will like it! >I have been hit by a virus on a COMMERCIALLY PURCHASED UPGRADE DISK from >the ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER. The danger is NOT exaggerated and I don't >EVER boot with anything other than my own "clean" disk in the floppy >drive. >You may not care about your programs/data, but I do and my operational >methods increase the probability that I will not get "hit" again. You >know what the FRAM Oil Man says !!!!! :-) Perhaps I didn't make myself quite clear: Of course I care about safety of my data. Therefore I make regular backups of my HD. I use virus checkers all the time. I also use a CLEAN disk in drive A to boot the machine because it's faster that way. And there we are, back at the original issue: a ROM based OS is no safer against infection than a disk based one, and that's all I said to start this side issue. It MIGHT be safer if it didn't start up faster with a disk in drive A: and if it didn't have executable bootsectors but since it does, your valuable SW can just as easily fall prey to viri as on a disk based OS if you're not careful. The original argument that a ROM based OS cannot be infected is right. But it doesn't lead us anywhere. Why else do you have all these nifty virus checker, scanners, killers, etc. Why was GFA Systems hit by a virus that even made it onto some production disks? Why are people writing programs like Hospital, Sakrotan and why is Ed Krimen always using them. Because: a ROM based OS gives only one level of safety: you think you're sure the ROMs aren't and never will be virus-ridden (unless SOMEBODY inserted a virus into the release used to make the ROM masks, eh. This would be extremely bad because then you have a ROM based virus which cannot as easily be replaced as a virus-infected, diskbased OS. Back to the original issue: I don't see too many (if any) arguments against distributing an OS on disk/tape/streamers. Most OSes come that way. Only a few don't. Stop it right now, Martin, you're rambling again! OK, boss. :-) So long, Martin -- Email: in the USA -> mboening.pad@nixdorf.com outside USA -> mboening.pad@nixdorf.de Paper Mail: Martin Boening, Nixdorf Computer AG, SNI STO SI 355, Pontanusstr. 55, 4790 Paderborn, W.-Germany (Phone: +49 5251 146155)