Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 21:55:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Please remove me from the Chat List
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL> wrote:

> Please remove my name from the Chat List until I send you a request
> to resume chatting.

Done (as soon as this message goes through).  You can continue to
post to the list, and to read list messages in our web archives at
http://www.wsfa.org/list/.  But the archives may go for as long as a
week between updates.  Even longer when I'm at the Worldcon, or en
route to or from it.  (I'll update the archives at least once more
before I leave on Monday night.)

> The reason is that my agency is getting bombarded with viruses and
> our information security people are cracking down.  I'd rather not
> have to explain who "WSFA" is.

Once again, I strongly recommend that everyone get a personal account,
rather than subscribing from work.  Especially if your employer hasn't
given you permission to do personal email from work computers, or
doesn't trust you to block viruses and worms.

Panix is good for shell accounts, and Erols for PPP.  Rebecca
recommends Netzero for free accounts.  But even AOL, MSN, and
Earthlink are better than nothing.

Note that this list *cannot* propagate worms or viruses, not even if a
list member's computer becomes infected, since all HTML emails and all
emails with attachments are blocked.

I too have been utterly bombarded with SoBig worms over the past two
days.  Of course none of them made it through my filters, not that
they could infect any computers of mine even if they did.  They could,
and would, completely fill my disk space allocation on my ISP, however.

I've also been bombarded with bounce messages and reports that my
emails are infected.  Of course they aren't -- the worm forges its
return addresses in order to spread further mischief.  These emails
are harder to filter out.

Arthur C. Clarke said that virus writers should be executed.  I think
a more appropriate punishment would be for them to have the language
centers of their brains surgically removed.  That's an appropriate
punishment for someone whose crime is to make it difficult or impossible
for each of millions of people to communicate with each other.  (Of
course this assumes a criminal justice system that never falsely
convicts anyone.  Which is about as realistic as a spherical cow.)

Steve is mistaken in thinking that computer viruses were first
described by Ken Thompson in 1984.  The idea goes back to at least the
1950s, probably much further.  I would be surprised if Turing or Von
Neumann didn't come up with the idea.

Actual computer viruses were circulating as early as the 1970s.
The Univac 1108 had one in 1974 or so.

I look forward to your prompt return.
--
Keith F. Lynch - kfl at keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable.  Please do not send me
HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.