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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!sun!pepper!cmcmanis
From: cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: viruses rumors
Message-ID: <92678@sun.uucp>
Date: 7 Mar 89 00:30:13 GMT
References: <976@geocub.UUCP> <6081@cbmvax.UUCP> <123@unigs.CH>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 22

In article <123@unigs.CH> zuber@unigs.CH (Zuberbuehler Ueli) writes:
>Write protection should be handled by the disk drive unit.
>Most disk drives do not handle this correctly. All what they do is to set
>a signal to controller that this disk is write protected. If the software
>doesn`t check this line, then you could write data on a write protected
>disk.

Pure baloney. I wouldn't put it past *some* disk drives to do this, but
in fact *most* disk drives _disable_ the write current when a disk is
write protected. Why? Because all it takes is one frigging gate (actually
it can even be done with only one wire, no silicon required) and that
is how everyone expects disk to work. If you could name *one* manufacturer
who does it the way you suggest, please do so. And be prepared to back
up your claim with either schematics or a test case. This kind of 
disinformation is some of the worst kind because it preys on novices
who don't understand how disk drives work. Why not talk to the Mega
Mighty SCA and ask them, those dweebs probably know something about 
how a disk works.

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.