Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!apple!vsi1!octopus!avsd!childers
From: childers@avsd.UUCP (Richard Childers)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: Computer Virus Literature
Message-ID: <337@avsd.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 88 01:59:32 GMT
References: <2579@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>
Reply-To: childers@avsd.UUCP (Richard Childers)
Organization: AMPEX Corporation, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 27

In article <2579@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU> ray@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Thomas Ray) writes:

>     I am an evolutionary biologist.  I define "life" as "anything that
>can reproduce itself".  Because computer viruses fall into this category,
>I would like to study their evolution.

Currently, viruses do not 'evolve'. While the similarity gives rise to
comparisons of a biological nature, extrapolation must be restricted to
only those lines of thought which are relevant. Computers are *dead*. If
there is any modificatiopn done, it is sheerly within the limitations of
the imagination of the programmer.

Writing a self-modifying program is still in the realm of science fiction.
Oh, I dare say a few colleges have done experimental research on the topic,
but if they had anything serious it would be being discussed and cited on
a daily basis in newsgroups far and wide ...

Wait five years, and ask again.

-- richard


-- 
 *          "... where there is no movement, there is no perception."         *
 *                    Ribot, _The Psychology of Attention_                    *
 *      ..{amdahl|decwrl|octopus|pyramid|ucbvax}!avsd.UUCP!childers@tycho     *
 *          AMPEX Corporation - Audio-Visual Systems Division, R & D          *