"Tibor Mocsar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >Recieved the following letter from one of my ISPs and the link below from
a
> >friend, this virus is real and verifiable. Ananova.com even reports it!
> >>http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/05/04/iloveyou.01/index.html
>
> I'm really sick and tired of these virus warnings every other month.
> A new virus? So what?! I don't care!
Well, typically I find such warnings late and of little use, but in this
case, the lil' bugger caught just about everyone unaware. This is one of the
few outbreaks that I saw in action before first hearing about it elsewhere.
I only wish I'd read about it before it rampaged through our office (not my
machine, but plenty of others). I don't necessarily find the warning
messages useful in all cases, but I respect the fact that they're
well-intentioned. Plus, in this particular case, many on this list may have
found some entertainment value in it...
> I use a SurvPC WITHOUT Windows.
Er, so? Surely you don't think that makes you somehow immune to a virus?
I've got quite a nice little collection of Surv-Viri on diskette, all
collected from then-state-of-the-art, now-SurvPCs. Many a hell of a lot more
destructive. DOS and Macintosh are well represented. Then there's the
original Internet worm that didn't go near a Microsoft-based system.
> It serves all the a*sholes right if they get f*cked in the a*s with a
virus.
> Why do they use Windows?! Who punishes a private user to buy this or that
> software? The own stupidity! According to the hungarian proverb "the
stupid
> should die". So I don't feel sorry for the idiots that cry and whine now.
> It's time to obtain a brain! (And don't forget to switch it on.)
In my opinion, anyone with such short sighted attitudes should be first on
the bus to Hungary. I get the feeling you'd have tossed the word
"untermenschen" in there given enough time.
I don't like slow drivers. I don't think they belong in the left lane. But I
don't wish an accident on them, nor do I feel obliged to run them off the
road. Not everyone is using Windows by choice. Not every Windows user is
using it privately. You're actually echoing some of the sentiments that the
short-sighted, virus-writing twerps use to justify their actions. "They
deserve it!" Sure, the volunteer-run adoption placment agency deserves it.
The small business person struggling to get into a computerized system
becuase they've hear it's a requirement to survive deserves it. Last but not
least, the poor bastards who earn a living supporting the stuff deserved to
spend the whole night cleaning up the whole mess. (You don't think it was
corporate management that lost any sleep, do you?)
> This is the easily computable result if the world allowes one company
> to hold the whole PC market of BOTH OS AND APPLICATION SOFTWARE in its
> hand.
While I agree Microsoft's dominance makes them the most obvious target, it's
extremely naieve and foolish to think a virus will only strike a Windows
user. Yes, Windows makes it easier for a less skilled punk to write one.
Yes, Microsoft is out of control. But your logic of equating Microsoft to
the USERS of Microsoft products is a bit twisted.
> Part of this problem is - beside other doubtful business practices -
> CORRUPCY. Unfortunately, outside of the "inner circle" it is not very
known
> that MS often pays a "buyer's benefit" to top IT managers or other
decision
> makers in charge of software purchase. [...]
Yes, yes. You're tired of hearing about virus attacks, and I'm tired of
rehashed and unoriginal Microsoft bashing.
> The difference however, will be paid, in fact,
> at the computer shop at the corner, by those braindead private users who
now
> also whine about "Iloveyou". Who told them to use Outlook?! Pegasusu Mail
> costs the same, Lotus' mailprogram is free for private use, Yarn is free
> (even for Windows), and there are many others for an affordable price.
And you do realize that any of these run on a Windows platform would have
stopped only the propogation of the virus, not the damage done -- right? So
a Windows user using Microsoft mail products "deserves" it. How about a user
running Windows but using other e-mail products? Did they deserve to have
files destroyed if they launched an attachment from a known associate? OK,
we -- as experience users -- know better. How about your mom?
sister/brother?
> It's not easy to defeat a "denial of service" attack.
It's trivial to stop many of them though. Providers simply won't do it. Why
the hell do ISPs pass traffic sourced from outside their network that
originates from within? Do the users of those ISPs now "deserve" a DoS
flood?
> However, defeating a
> virus whose aim is getting down computer systems worldwide as many as
> possible while destroying their data, should not be a challange for a
> normally equipped brain. The name of the pill is DIVERSITY!
The name of the pill is EDUCATION. Your short-sighted attitudes don't help a
bit.
> Operating systems FREE FOR BUSINESS AND PRIVATE USE:
> LINUX, FREEBSD, NETBSD, OPENBSD
Most of which are not exactly trivial to use. Wonderful, powerful, and
increasingly friendly, but they don't quite pass the "Mom could do it" test.
I've used Linux since 1993. I love it. It's not ready to pass the test
though -- not quite today. And the virus struck today.
> FREE FOR PRIVATE USE ONLY:
> SCO UNIX, SOLARIS
Ah, were it only at home that I used a computer...
> Office Packages:
> STAROFFICE (Free for both business and private use, runs on nearly all
Unix
> derivates and Windows)
> APPLIXWARE (reasonable price, runs on Unix & Linux)
Apps have improved significantly in the last 12 months, but still aren't
quite up to par in many areas. Case in point: It was StarOffice if I'm not
mistaken that would corrupt data written in the same suite on another
platform. They are VERY NICE suites, but not in widespread use (yet). I hope
this changes, but in the meantime, there's the whole issue of "deserving" a
virus and the REALITY of today.
> Of course, these are just a couple of examples, the list could be
continued
> with some other more or less market-ready products.
>
> BTW, in forseeable future I plan to change my internet-online activities
> for OBERON. Or has anybody ever heard of a virus against OBERON?
Do you think that a virus/trojan/worm could not be written for Oberon? Do
you honestly think that no as-yet unknown weaknesses might be found that
could be exploited? Or are you relying on the obscurity of the system to
protect you?
You may have noticed that this message got a bit of a rise out of me. I can
remember a few folks not to many years ago echoing sentiments that anyone
who got AIDS "deserved it". I've heard too many punks argue that the targets
and bystanders hit in a drive-by shooting "deserved it". The amount of time
spent dealing with this damned thing is appalling. The fact that they strike
at random, with no regard for the damage they may do puts the writers among
the scum of the earth, with only those who feel others "deserve" misfortune
ranking any lower.
Viruses like this strike individuals, mega-corporations, hospitals, houses
of worship and schools with impunity. When, inevitably, you, a loved one or
someone you know are at death's door with a disease or illness, think about
whether or not those six months of data some resarcher who "deserved it"
lost might have made a difference. We'll never know what the real costs are.
In the meantime, try to separate your disdain for Microsoft from anyone who
may happen to use their products.
- Bob
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