ram-ashwin@YALE.ARPA (Ashwin Ram) (04/24/87)
> Date: Thu, 16 Apr 87 15:59:06 PST > From: <XBR4D76H%DDATHD21.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> > ... > What could you say to someone who is afraid of using your posted programs > because of the risk of blowing his system ? > Nothing. > We all know of this risk using PD Software. > We weigh the goods against the risks and make our individual choice. Well said, Konrad! I sure hope people DON'T stop posting programs just because there are guys out there who don't trust anyone else. I use many wonderful PD *binary* programs, such as UNITERM, ARC, PUZZLE, KRABAT, MICRO-EMACS and STSPEECH, and I'd hate to see this resource disappear. -- Ashwin.
billw@wolf.UUCP (Bill Wisner) (04/25/87)
Ashwin Ram (ram-ashwin@YALE.ARPA) writes: >>> What could you say to someone who is afraid of using your posted programs >>> because of the risk of blowing his system ? >> Nothing. >> We all know of this risk using PD Software. >> We weigh the goods against the risks and make our individual choice. > Well said, Konrad! I sure hope people DON'T stop posting programs just > because there are guys out there who don't trust anyone else. I use many > wonderful PD *binary* programs, such as UNITERM, ARC, PUZZLE, KRABAT, > MICRO-EMACS and STSPEECH, and I'd hate to see this resource disappear. Unless you think Jim Turner guilty of conspiracy, the binaries posted to comp.binaries.atari.st (namely, almost all Atari binaries posted to USENET) are eminently safe. They are all tested by the aforementioned moderator before being posted. If you want to live your life in paranoia, fine.. use nothing but software for which you have paid $50 or more. But when you can get something just as good for free, why bother? UniTerm is the best terminal emulator I have seen for ANY computer.. would you hesitate to use it out of fear? Come on, now, this network (make that plural) is not full of the immature teenagers that enjoy playing destructive pranks via bulletin boards. And after seeing all the messages about UniTerm, MicroGnuEmacs, and all the other PD programs that originate from this net, or are simply reposted here, would you say that those messages are all a hoax to lull you into a false sense of security so you will download the software, run it, and watch your hard drive go boom? Right. [Climbs down from soapbox.] -- #include <disclaimer.h> -- Bill Wisner ..{sdcsvax,ihnp4}!jack!wolf!billw
cs3c3cd@maccs.UUCP (cs3c3cd) (04/26/87)
In article <8704241627.AA03826@yale-eli.arpa> ram-ashwin@YALE.ARPA (Ashwin Ram) writes: >> What could you say to someone who is afraid of using your posted programs >> because of the risk of blowing his system ? >> Nothing. >Well said, Konrad! I sure hope people DON'T stop posting programs just >because there are guys out there who don't trust anyone else. I use many >-- Ashwin. I agree too! Ive honestly never heard of software destroying a production microcomputer. There was the time when one Commodore software producer placed a slit on one of the tracks of a disk which would never be accessed unless someone did a disk copy (resulting in the destruction of the disk drive read head). Outrage soon ended this practice. Richard Werezak carson@mcmaster.BITNET, uasst4@mcmvm1.BITNET "Banished from UUCP by the year-end account sweeper. Exit stage right (ie. to the wings and BITNET)"
manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vincent Manis) (04/26/87)
In article <561@maccs.UUCP> cs3c3cd@maccs.UUCP () writes: >Ive honestly never heard of software destroying a production microcomputer. Well, there was a program (I can't remember which one) which had the effect of destroying monochrome monitors on IBM PC's if improperly used. More to the point is the program which either does something obviously nasty (such as the alleged version of ARC for the PC which wiped your hard disk), or implants a Trojan Horse. I have grown suspicious, in that I'll never use a program whose complete description is "Try this, it's fun" (equivalent to being offered a brownie by somebody who accosts you on the street), nor will I use an esoteric program whose purpose is to do something very systems-y (such as increasing the number of folders) without knowing who wrote it. (This is not a dig at Konrad, but I would never install a program of this sort without knowing whom to contact if I have problems. GEMBOOT meets these criteria.) ----- Vincent Manis {seismo,uw-beaver}!ubc-vision!ubc-cs!manis Dept. of Computer Science manis@cs.ubc.cdn Univ. of British Columbia manis%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5 manis@ubc.csnet (604) 228-6770 or 228-3061 "Long live the ideals of Marxism-Lennonism! May the thoughts of Groucho and John guide us in word, thought, and deed!"
rwa@auvax.UUCP (Ross Alexander) (04/27/87)
In article <1288@ubc-cs.UUCP>, manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vincent Manis) writes: > [...] I would never install a program of this sort without knowing > whom to contact if I have problems. GEMBOOT meets these criteria.) I have problems with TOS and GEM every day, and I know _exactly_ who to contact (Neil & Company @ Atari). But does anything get _done_ about my (our!) problems? NOOOOOOOOOO. And besides, you can always just stop using GEMBOOT, right? Just wipe it off the AUTO\ folder. But GEM & TOS *won't go away* !! ARGGGHH. I feel so much better now :-). Please, no follow ups or flames, the above is an opinion and it is not possible to constructively debate opinions. ...!ihnp4!alberta!auvax!rwa Ross Alexander @ Athabasca University.