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From: annala@neuro.usc.edu (A J Annala)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT and sources
Message-ID: <14384@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 31 Dec 88 00:46:30 GMT
References: <8812220917.AA10582@decwrl.dec.com> <29954@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: annala@neuro.usc.edu (A J Annala)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 16

Enhanced SECURITY is a widely geographically distributed network is
another very serious reason to release sources.

If it were not for the day to day familiarity with source code in the
system administration groups of SUN and BSD UNIX sites around the USA
during the recent virus attack, we probably wouldn't have recognized
or been able to effectively disassemble, understand, and develop good
immunization approaches to inhibit the spread of the virus.  Neither
SUN or BSD manufacturing sites were able to produce a solution to the
virus ... the work was performed in a distributed fashion by academic
sites working together throughout the country.  The perpetrator of
this crime actually worked with sources obtained while employed at a
manufacturing site (AT&T) ... so restricting sources to manufacturer
sites is ineffective and dangerous for the INTERNET at large.

AJ Annala, USC Neuroscience Program