Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: ssingh@watserv1.waterloo.edu (The Sanj-Machine aka Ice) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Re: Life, Turing Machines, viruses. Message-ID: <0009.9103111610.AA12780@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 11 Mar 91 00:47:54 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 21 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu Quick question I've been wanting to ask for a while. If automata are capable of reproducing themselves, by following the laws of a Turing machine, for a particular hardware architecture and instruction set, how do you determine the minimum number of bytes that this can be achieved in? On a related note, I was talking with a friend about how CDs have error correcting codes through redundancy. Does anyone know if viruses yet exist which are capable of being fault tolerant so that if they try to mutate, and the mutation inhibits its ability for continued self reproduction, it will return to its former state and try again? Ice. "Flesh and blood, sacrifice, melts the heart like fire and ice."-Poison - -- "No one had the guts... until now!" $anjay $ingh Fire & "Ice" ssingh@watserv1.[u]waterloo.{edu|cdn}/[ca] ROBOTRON Hi-Score: 20 Million Points | A new level of (in)human throughput... !blade_runner!terminator!terminator_II_judgement_day!watmath!watserv1!ssingh!