Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:25985 comp.sys.amiga:28705 comp.sys.ibm.pc:24056 comp.sys.atari.st:13819 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!uwmcsd1!marque!lakesys!macak From: macak@lakesys.UUCP (James Macak) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Computer ANIMALIES Keywords: viruses, worms, ... Message-ID: <339@lakesys.UUCP> Date: 1 Feb 89 15:31:17 GMT References: <581@ztivax.UUCP> Reply-To: macak@lakesys.UUCP (James Macak) Organization: Lake Systems - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Lines: 31 In article <581@ztivax.UUCP> hack@ztivax.UUCP (Gerald Hackenberg) writes: > >Computer ANIMALIES > >I'd like to propose a new (?) term for all that kind of >weirdness striking our computer systems: "computer animalies". >It should combine _anomly_ = abnormal behaviour as well as >_animals_ = worms, trojan horses, viruses, bugs and so on. (Much following deleted.) I'm assuming Mr. Hackenberg was serious in this article.... I saw no funny faces! Seems to me his proposed terminology would only serve to further confuse the issue. Users are all too willing as it is to blame the slightest abnormal behavior that they experience on their personal computer on some new virus. The proposed use of the term "animalies" would only further blur the distinction in the minds of users. This despite the proposed classification of "animalies." (The typical user would _not_ bother to carefully classify the "animalies" he observes.) We need to work in the other direction: to educate users towards distinguishing "normal" bugs form true viruses, etc. Usage of "animalies" would be counterproductive in achieving this. Jim -- Jim Macak