Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!oliveb!sun!plaid!chuq
From: chuq@plaid.Sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Liability of [benign] virus cre
Message-ID: <46906@sun.uucp>
Date: 24 Mar 88 22:05:14 GMT
References: <7919@cisunx.UUCP> <46700018@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: chuq@sun.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach)
Organization: Fictional Reality
Lines: 25

>Also, Splatz would probably have a *gasp* Disclaimer, and a disclaimer is 
>the legal tool (I think, I'm not a lawyer) to protect oneself against lawsuits
>of this nature.  But, with virii he didn't have the option of testing this it
>and wasn't given a disclaimer. 

Disclaimers are primarily there to make you think you have no rights. The
courts have sometimes disagreed with it, depending on the severity of the
software's screwups. If, for instance, Splatz ate my hard disk for lunch and
laughed at me, causing me to lose a weeks' work and two major clients, no
disclaimer in the world would save you. On the other hand, if Splatz gave me
the option of deleting my hard disk, or allowed me to inadventantly cause a
head crash, with the same results, it's a lot more likely the disclaimer
would be upheld.

And something that comes walking in on another program unanncounced,
installs itself in my system, and then does something to me, that's rape.
I'm all for taking virii manufacturers and hanging them from trees. It might
discourage the next one.

chuq (hard line, yes. But virii do to computers what coke does to noses.
  String up both pushers....)
Chuq Von Rospach			chuq@sun.COM		Delphi: CHUQ

                               Speed it up. Keep it Simple. Ship it on time.
                                                            -- Bill Atkinson