Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!apple!vsi1!daver!mips!sultra!dtynan
From: dtynan@sultra.UUCP (Der Tynan)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: a holiday gift from Robert Morris
Summary: A simple bug? NBL!
Message-ID: <2658@sultra.UUCP>
Date: 17 Nov 88 02:40:45 GMT
References: <1698@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU> <2060@spdcc.COM> <24@jove.dec.com> <168@heart-of-gold>
Distribution: na
Organization: Tynan Computers, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 25

In article <168@heart-of-gold>, jc@heart-of-gold (John M Chambers) writes:
> 
> OK, so you write up a little demo and send it around.  What happens?  Unless
> you are perfect, and your code runs without bugs on all systems (including
> some you've never seen), your example will do something like rtm's worm,
> and half the world will be calling for prosecution.
>
> From:	John Chambers <mitre-bedford.arpa!heart-of-gold!jc>

Huh?  Why is it everyone seems to think that because of a simple bug, RTM's
code ran amok on Internet.  WITHOUT the bug, the infection would have spread
to *more* systems, and not have been noticed.  I fail to see that if I wrote
a 'little demo', that had a bug, it would suddenly turn into the Master
Control Program (courtesy of 'Tron'), and go screaming off into the ether.

A 'demo' program DOES NOT need to try THREE different ways of infecting a
system.  It does not need to have facilities for up to TWENTY different
machine types.  I also fail to see the connection between 'no-one listening'
and the 'right' to release a worm on the community.
						- Der
-- 
	dtynan@zorba.Tynan.COM  (Dermot Tynan @ Tynan Computers)
	{apple,mips,pyramid,uunet}!Tynan.COM!dtynan

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