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From: campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: Removing Macintosh related groups from the net.
Message-ID: <197@maynard.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 18:55:46 EST
Article-I.D.: maynard.197
Posted: Fri Dec 13 18:55:46 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Dec-85 00:16:24 EST
References: <226@mplvax.UUCP> <6100@utzoo.UUCP> <1852@gatech.CSNET>
Organization: The Boston Software Works Inc., Maynard, MA
Lines: 39

> In article <3569@utah-cs.UUCP> j@utah-cs.UUCP writes:
> >Those who want to get rid of the appeal of binaries in net.sources.mac
> >merely have to post a few binhex's there which while advertised as great
> >games trash everyone's floppies instead.  Or post a terminal emulator
> >that trashes their Unix files or more subtly compromises their system.

> I assume that you are prepared to deal with the consequences of deliberately
> sabotaging the legitimate Unix related work of many professionals on the net
> who use the software as productivity tools. 
> My administrators and yours have been alerted that there are now people on
> the net like you. Thank you for the warning. 
> -- 
> 	richard currier		marine physical lab	u.c. san diego
> 	{ihnp4|decvax|akgua|dcdwest|ucbvax}	!sdcsvax!mplvax!rec

 [I've removed net.sources.mac from the Newsgroups: line of this followup,
  since this discussion is not source code.  Hint hint.]

There are ALREADY people like that out there;  j@utah-cs was merely
trying to point that out.  There is an infamous utility making the
rounds of the IBM PC bulletin boards which purports to be a nifty
directory utility but actually (after perhaps working OK for a while)
trashes your disk.  Needles to say, it's available in binary only.
(Sorry, I can't remember the name of it.)

The trojan horse problem is one reason I *never* run stuff that I don't
have sources for (unless I paid for it, in which case I have someone to
sue).  I don't object too much to posting binaries ALONG WITH SOURCE,
for those people too cheap to buy a compiler and trusting enough to
not worry about getting nailed.  But binary only?  I'd as soon invite
some random person plucked off the subway to spend the night in my home
as invite binary-only code from some random programmer to spend the night
in my system.

(P.S. - hi richard, remember Elton?)
-- 
Larry Campbell                                 The Boston Software Works, Inc.
ARPA: maynard.UUCP:campbell@harvard.ARPA       120 Fulton Street
UUCP: {harvard,cbosgd}!wjh12!maynard!campbell  Boston MA 02109