A few months ago, I posed an interesting ethical question: Is it all right to write a virus, if it's only for educational purposes?

Most of you seemed to agree with me that it was. Now, I have another question:

If a virus is annoying and potentially harmful, but cannot be spread, then what's the point?

>>>If a virus is annoying and potentially harmful, but cannot be spread, then what's the point?

If you only want to get one person for something... that's what I think... not that I've written a virus or anything... ]:-)

>>>A few months ago, I posed an interesting ethical question: Is it all right to write a virus, if it's only for educational purposes?

How could trashing someone's computer be for educational purposes?


The virus I've always wanted to create, but never have, because I think it might be illegal: A virus that just changes the wallpaper to a christmas tree and have some kind of comfirm box that says "Merry Christmas! \n Do you want to fix your wallpaper?" [YES] [NO] and then it would send it to everyone on the mailing list. It's not harmful, it can't mess up the computer, so would it be legal?

The whole mass e-mail thing can cause numerous servers to crash, possibly causing thousands to billions of dollars in damage (like Nimda, which does almost nothing else).

>>The virus I've always wanted to create, but never have, because I think it might be illegal: A virus that just changes the wallpaper to a christmas tree and have some kind of comfirm box that says "Merry Christmas! \n Do you want to fix your wallpaper?" [YES] [NO] and then it would send it to everyone on the mailing list. It's not harmful, it can't mess up the computer, so would it be legal?

You too?

It probably would be illegal because people can get in serious tropuble for sending "prank" e-mail. Someone at my school got his internet connection cut off because of that (or so he says...)

<cough>
Some people never get caught...
Not even for posting irrelevant things on TICALC.ORG

</cough>


Very Secret Comment:
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Very Secret Comment:
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Very Secret Comment:
<!-- use a pooper scooper -->

Íf I only knew how to tell the thing that the comment has ended...

Very Secret Comment:
<!-- Use the SECRET pooper scooper and then get a washcloth in case it stained -->

Very Secret Comment:
<SCRIPT><!--
//Once you've taken the poo off ticalc, clean up the stain with the secret washcloth.
Ticalc.document.takeOff(indexOf("poo")) .method("pooper_scooper");
//--></SCRIPT>

What the hell!!!, agh hahahahahaha. AOOOOoOOoOOooOoUUUUuUUuUuUuuuuu. ;=)

Shutup, you...

Many virii, specially in the old days, didn't mean to do any damage, but did anyway because of programming errors...

And as other said, it still loads down mail servers, which is the biggest problem with mass mailing worms/trojans.
Many of them do nothing more then mail themselfs to other users, which should in other words be even less harmfull then your suggestion. Still is a big problem.

hmm...

Cactus -> Cacti
Octopus -> Octopi
Virus -> Virii? That's funny. I would have thought viruses...

cactus -> cactuses
octopus -> octopuses
virus -> viruses
monkey -> monki

"Not only is he ambidextrous, but he can throw with either hand."
-Duffy Daugherty-

Actually, I don't know. I just know that many sites that specifically is about computer viruses/virii use the word "virii".
Seems after some searching that the more correct is "viruses" though.

If it can't be spread, or more accuratly, can't spread itself, then its not a virus. Just an annoying and potentially harmful program.
For a program to be a virus, it has to spread itself without the knowledge of the user.

No, you are wrong. For a program to be a "virus," all it needs to do is replicate itself. It does not need to spread to other computers, and the original virii were written by some college students as a contest. They would put them on a hard drive, let them loose, and see whose won.

As for the news item, I think it would be cool if someone made a version of this that could write code for the 86, 85, 83, etc.

On a totaly unrelated item, I recently got an HP-49 (~45% rebate, so it cost ~$90), and I find it easier to learn and more versital than the 89. It is a bit slower, though. Anyone who wants to argue with me, flame me, etc., please use E-Mail and do not send me juvenile trash (eg. "HP sux!! TI rulez!!")

2^8th post! w00t!

Read my post again.
I only said "spread" not "spread between systems"
I'm sorry if I was unclear, with "spread" I only meant "replicate".
I'll use my trumph card "I'm not native in the english language" :)

That contest was for, I believe, someone like Intel to test out their new software. For like a week all these hackers made programs to try to break in to it. They have done it 4 times, and only the last one has the program been proved unhackable.

Wow Nathan, you deleted the posts, but you forgot to resed the page numbers, now theres 3 empty pages of posts, and the total number is still in the 200's...LOL Anyhoo fzara warned me that you were going to clear them on friday, giving me amptle time to make a backup of the page, close to 900kb...Agh memories....AWwWwWwWwWwW()O()O ()O()OooOOoOOoOoOoo ;=)

lol, was it really that big? we really know how to ramble...

WwWwWwWwWwW()O()O()O()OooOOoOOoOoOoot ;-)

We don't need no education...

I alreddy bin lernd all thur is tur be node!

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain,
I take a look at my wife and realize she's very plain.

, but that's just perfect for an Amish like me,
you know I shun fancy things like electricity.

A local boy kicked me in the butt last week.
But I just smiled at him, and I turned the other cheek.
I really wasn't mad; in fact, I wish him well.
For I'll be laughing my head off when he's burning in hell.

I ain't never punched a tourist, even if he deserved it
an Amish with a 'tude, you know that's undheard of
I never wear buttons, but I got a cool hat,
and my hommies agree, I really look good in black, fool!
If you come to visit, you'd be bored to tears,
we haven't even payed the phonebill in 300 years
but we ain't really quaint, so please don't point and stare,
we're just technogically impaired

There's no phone, no light, no motorcar,
not a single luxury.
Like Robinson Carusoe, It's as primitive as can be...

How did we start singing Amish Paradise?

It's Quackers
The friendly duck.
He eats crackers
Worth big bucks.

It's Quackers
The friendly duck.
He goes wackers
When he's stuck
And he's happy
In my hand!
It's Quackers
the friendly
...
duck.

It's Talky
The headless turkey.
He likes to watchy
the New York slurpee.

And his favorite thing to eat is his best friend MOOOO
...
quack quack

Woohoo! I feel funny. (My tongue thtill hurth)