Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!usc!polyslo!vlsi3b15!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!ubu.cc.lehigh.edu!virus-l From: RADAI1@HBUNOS.BITNET (Y. Radai) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Re: naming confusion Message-ID: <0002.8906122012.AA00724@ubu.CC.Lehigh.EDU> Date: 12 Jun 89 12:02:23 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Reply-To: VIRUS-L@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU Lines: 55 Approved: virus-l@ubu.cc.lehigh.edu Robert Morey writes (#133): > Regarding the "PLO" virus and your suggestion that we not call it by >that name, don't you think that your desire to suppress the link >between the virus and something which obviously offends you (the name >"PLO") is a political tactic? It's unfortunate that Mr. Morey has read a political motive into my remarks. His claims that I'm "obviously offended" by the name "PLO" and that I'm trying to "suppress" something are products of his imagination alone and have no basis in reality. My reason for being opposed to labelling the Israeli virus the "PLO" virus is precisely the same reason that I am opposed to labelling it the "DAR" virus, the "Mongolian" virus or the "Einstein" virus: These names are simply INAPPROPRIATE. That's really all there is to it, Mr. Morey. Of course, no one can prevent your imagination from concocting other motivations. But you have no right to accuse people of them without evidence, which you certainly don't have in my case since your claims are false. > That particular virus is known to many >people already as the "PLO virus"--now you expect them to have to >worry about changing that name in their minds because it offends >someone? Is changing a name really such a hardship for you? Suppose it turned out that the story about the Brain virus originating in Pakistan was merely a rumor, spread by someone with a hyperactive imagination, that it really originated in Timbuctoo, and never even spread to Pakistan. And suppose on that basis someone in Pakistan asked us to stop referring to it as the Pakistani virus. I would comply immediately. No problem, no "worry". Are you so inflexible that you can't do the same in the case of the so-called "PLO" virus?? If you're offended by the name "Israeli", you can call it the "Friday- 13" virus, the "Little Black Box", or any of about 8 other reasonable names. Btw, suppose that someone started calling the Israeli virus the "Morey" virus and that this name caught on. Wouldn't you feel like asking people to stop using this name? I wonder if you'd be quite so sympathetic in that case to the plight of people having to alter their habits simply "because it offends someone" .... If you wish to continue this discussion, fine. But if it's anything more than a one-sentence apology for attributing false motives to me, mail your remarks to me personally. VIRUS-L is not a forum for poli- tics or slanders. Y. Radai Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem P.S. On another subject: In Issue 116 (May 16) I posted a list of 20 PC viruses and asked if anyone has comments to send them to me personally. It turns out that precisely at that time we had mailer problems and a lot of mail which was addressed to me didn't reach me. So if anyone sent me mail and didn't receive a reply, please re-send.