Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!concertina!fiddler
From: fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: THIS VIRUS IS A CRISIS!
Message-ID: <37776@sun.uucp>
Date: 4 Jan 88 21:13:45 GMT
References: <9659@udenva.cair.du.edu>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Lines: 46

In article <9659@udenva.cair.du.edu>, Paul Brody (pbrody@udenva) writes:
 
> Kludges like the Apple are less subject to viruses because they
> have to be rebooted every time a new program is used. 

Sigh.  This hasn't necessarily been true at least as far back
as the first Disk][ drive.  Certainly not since hard disks became
available to just plain folks... There's no need to reboot (excepting
for initial startup) unless you're forced to run &^^$%#$ copy-protected
software from its own disk, rather than a legitimate copy from a
subdirectory of your hard disk.  Let's not weaken arguments by using
examples without basis in history or fact.

> Even IBMs are less subject to this type of software virus because
> they are single tasks, so data disks are isolated. 

You meant to say "single-tasking", and even with IBM machines, there
are any number of programs that read/write data from/to other programs'
output.  (Amazing True Fact: There are some IBM personal computers
that have had hard disks attached that have actually been seen to
work!  Some even have more than one program loaded and executable
from the disk!)

> Since the Amiga is a multi-tasking computer during the course of one
> session half a dozen disks containing the the programs and data for
> as many programs can be destroyed!

If memory serves, I did the same sort of thing (admittedly sans
multitasking!) in the normal course of events years ago on the Apple//s
and Apple///s I used at worked in an earlier incarnation.  Fortunately,
no infected disks passed through my drives, as far as I know.
 
> I am not speaking as an expert on the Amiga, viruses, or programming or
> marketing. I am speaking as a concerned Amiga user who is using a reasonable
> line of argument and has come to the conclusion that the Amiga Virus of
> any type is seriously damaging to the Amiga.

As such a virus would be damaging to any other machine (even though
such lesser machines are understandably of less concern to this group).

Virus distributors are, in any environment, inconsiderate, asocial (is
that redundant?) entities.  While shhoting them on sight might be a
little extreme, perhaps the rack, or thumbscrews, could be profitably
returned to service.

	seh