vespa@ssyx.ucsc.edu (Adam Alexander Margulies) (11/07/88)
What is it about the American mentality to sue (or in this case /bin/su).
The Japanese don't have it, the Europeans don't have it. Why do we?
For all you out there that want to see Morris prosecuted for civil and
criminal penalties I say grow up! All he did was to bring a little
stimulation to your otherwise asexual, ruthlessly boring existences.
He represents an opportunity to close security holes and encourage
others to do the same.
Q: isn't computer security rather like military intelligence and other
oxymorons?
I said, type it NOW, Adam! || ||Adam Margulies |
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| These are NOT my opinions. They are my dog's. |aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri) (11/09/88)
In article <5392@saturn.ucsc.edu> vespa@ssyx.ucsc.edu (Adam Alexander Margulies) writes: > What is it about the American mentality to sue (or in this case > /bin/su). >The Japanese don't have it, the Europeans don't have it. Why do we? People in the U.S. know that there's a good chance they can win even the silliest suit -- the media cover suits with eagerness -- just look at The Weekly World news and People's Court, Superior Court, Stupid People's Court..... -- @disclaimer(Any concepts or opinions above are entirely mine, not those of my employer, my GIGI, or my 11/34) beak is@>beak is not Anthony A. Datri @SysAdmin(Stepstone Corporation) stpstn!aad
cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (11/11/88)
In article <2313@stpstn.UUCP>, aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri) writes: > In article <5392@saturn.ucsc.edu> vespa@ssyx.ucsc.edu (Adam Alexander Margulies) writes: > > What is it about the American mentality to sue (or in this case > > /bin/su). > >The Japanese don't have it, the Europeans don't have it. Why do we? > > People in the U.S. know that there's a good chance they can win even the > silliest suit -- the media cover suits with eagerness -- just look at > The Weekly World news and People's Court, Superior Court, Stupid People's > Court..... > Anthony A. Datri @SysAdmin(Stepstone Corporation) stpstn!aad I can remember a time when this litigious spirit was specifically a California phenomenon -- in particular, an Oregon hospital emergency room resisting treating my mother one night "because you Californians are always suing everyone!" California is always ten years ahead of the rest of the nation -- unfortunately. -- Clayton E. Cramer ..!ames!pyramid!kontron!optilin!cramer
berry@askone (Berry Kercheval) (11/11/88)
In article <2313@stpstn.UUCP>, aad@stpstn (Anthony A. Datri) writes: >People in the U.S. know that there's a good chance they can win even the >silliest suit -- the media cover suits with eagerness -- just look at >The Weekly World news and People's Court, Superior Court, Stupid People's >Court..... AH, yes -- where is Judge Moriarty Wapner when we need him! --berry
jack@swlabs.UUCP (Jack Bonn) (11/12/88)
In article <5392@saturn.ucsc.edu> vespa@ssyx.ucsc.edu (Adam Alexander Margulies) writes: > > What is it about the American mentality to sue (or in this case /bin/su). >The Japanese don't have it, the Europeans don't have it. Why do we? I believe that it has been caused by the ability for American attorneys to sue people on a contingency basis. This is where the lawyers can take a piece of the judgement (very often up to 33%, or so) and the plaintiff needs no money "up front". I am told that this is considered unethical practice in most of the civilized world. (Net: is this true?) This assumes the USA still qualifies as "civilized". Of course, lifting the ban on advertising by attorneys has added fuel to the fire. I've even seen TV ads hinting that accident victims sue before they feel any ill effects, since after a time limit they may loose the right to sue. [The other half of the coin, however, is the impression that countries who forbid contingency fees are providing justice only for the rich. I, personally, think that this is little price to pay, however.] To get this back on the track (for news.sysadmin), does anyone think that a judgement against Cornell or the perpetrator is likely enough that one could find lawyers willing to take the case on a contingency basis? -- Jack Bonn, <> Software Labs, Ltd, Box 451, Easton CT 06612 uunet!swlabs!jack (UUCP) jack%swlabs.uucp@uunet.uu.net (INTERNET)
beb@mit-amt (Brian E Bradley) (11/12/88)
Let's call it what it is: "computer rape". Sure, you lost a day's work because of the virus, and you got heartburn. But that's not what really bothers you. Your machine seems somehow -- well, DIRTY... You don't really trust it anymore. It's been "doing it" for someone else. And, deep down in the back of your mind, you KNOW that your rival's code was BETTER than yours: once the computer tasted HIS code, it could think of nothing else. Gentlemen, let's be sensitive to the victims, too. Because of the Worm, our relationship with our Signifigant Automata is forever changed. Their increasingly infected chassis are more and more human every day. The appearance of dangerous diseases in the electronic ecology means that the majority of guys will marry one machine and avoid the swinging "network" information meat market. Unless, of course, his machine is down for some reason, or the guy needs something "special". In a surprisingly short time, a user will be able to go to the drugstore 24 hours a day to buy "network protectors"; perhaps they will even be ribbed, colored, scented, and disposable after one use. In the meantime, even the most ardent civil libertarians among us are growling and threatening to bludgeon virus publishers to death with baseball bats. Control over personal property is a much more compelling motivation than concepts like "the free marketplace of ideas". But, until the law catches up with the current marketplace of intellectual property, software publishing (and "genetic" publishing, for that matter) is an ill-defined and lawless game. Perhaps some future court will rule that a man can kill to keep his black box from being raped. And "rape" is the issue here. To spare my colleagues the embarassment of irrational, emotional public displays, I would like to point out that many systems administrators are behaving like the victims of forcible rape. Be aware of your own actions, and be careful that your choices are not driven by unhealthy motives, such as obsessive paranoid reactions to a perceived loss of security. Set reasoable goals, curb your extremism, and don't pop a blood vessel over it. If youthink you're suffering, I suggest a brief dip in Women's Movement books. They've been grappling with the same issues as we Worm-Fighters, but they've had centuries of life-and-death experience coping with the problem. Of course, the Computer Security Support Groups DO exist, but they are impossible to find or join...