Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!super!udel!rochester!rutgers!mailrus!ames!oliveb!amiga!jimm
From: jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The ultimate fix!!!
Message-ID: <2881@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 13 Sep 88 19:21:05 GMT
References: <681@zehntel.UUCP>
Reply-To: jimm@cloyd.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc, Los Gatos CA
Lines: 48

In article <681@zehntel.UUCP> donw@zehntel (Don White) writes:
)[simple mind, simple idea. It's not just a good idea. It's the way i am.]
)
)   Do you supose it would be difficult for Commodore to put a little CRC
) check in their Kickstart and Workbench Boot blocks to INSURE that no 
) virus had been installed? Any time you do boot, a message could come 
) up saying "Kickstart HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH!!!" and/or "Workbench HAS BEEN
) TAMPERED WITH!!!" if such is the case.

Yes, a damn good reason: there is no way to stop people from writing
viruses, and challenging them to beat the new system is not a wise
move.

)   Is there any reason that this virus baloney has to drag on and on?

Yes, because hackers choose to do it.  I only see two things that can
improve things:

1) identify that there are better things to do with software talent than
  write viruses, both from a notoriety and a cash-money point of view.

  I would think that some of these virus writers are getting pretty damn
  good at Amiga programming.  I'd hope that they realize that making that
  a long-term money-making talent is strongly influenced by how they
  spend their efforts.  A good demo in place of a good virus spreads
  almost as fast and does net good for the machine, rather than making
  it less acceptable.  And of course a good commercial or pd program is even
  more important.

2) limit the publicity given the viruses to the absolute minimum
  of identifying viruses and the protection programs.

I think that any other discussion of viruses, including asking the net
which BBS has which version of which virus killers (which can be
done via mail, in person, or at user groups), and including postings
like mine and Don's, are counter productive.

Read up on viruses: you can't protect against them using any means
you would like to live with.  The best thing to do is to help this
fad pass.

)   Don White
	jimm
-- 
	Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing	  
	amiga!jimm	BIX:jmackraz
Opinions are my own.  Comments regarding the Amiga operating system, and
all others, are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.