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From: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vincent Manis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Using PD binaries
Message-ID: <1288@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Apr-87 14:46:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: ubc-cs.1288
Posted: Sun Apr 26 14:46:34 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Apr-87 00:40:59 EDT
References: <8704241627.AA03826@yale-eli.arpa> <561@maccs.UUCP>
Reply-To: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vincent Manis)
Distribution: world
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science
Lines: 27

In article <561@maccs.UUCP> cs3c3cd@maccs.UUCP () writes:
>Ive honestly never heard of software destroying a production microcomputer.

Well, there was a program (I can't remember which one) which had the effect
of destroying monochrome monitors on IBM PC's if improperly used. 

More to the point is the program which either does something obviously nasty
(such as the alleged version of ARC for the PC which wiped your hard disk),
or implants a Trojan Horse.

I have grown suspicious, in that I'll never use a program whose complete
description is "Try this, it's fun" (equivalent to being offered a brownie
by somebody who accosts you on the street), nor will I use an esoteric
program whose purpose is to do something very systems-y (such as increasing
the number of folders) without knowing who wrote it. (This is not a dig at
Konrad, but I would never install a program of this sort without knowing
whom to contact if I have problems. GEMBOOT meets these criteria.)

-----
Vincent Manis                {seismo,uw-beaver}!ubc-vision!ubc-cs!manis
Dept. of Computer Science    manis@cs.ubc.cdn
Univ. of British Columbia    manis%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa  
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5      manis@ubc.csnet
(604) 228-6770 or 228-3061

"Long live the ideals of Marxism-Lennonism! May the thoughts of Groucho
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