john@uunet.uu.net (04/24/91)
On April 17, 1991 kevinc@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Kevin "auric" Crocker Athabasca University) writes: >I've keep quite about this because I enjoy a good yuck as much as the >next person. I was also trying to keep quiet about this, but it's at the point where I feel I have to put my two cents worth in. This is not an attack (well, not an intentional one) on you but rather on some sillyness that just riled me. > However, there are a lot of people that read a variety >of magazines just for info and pleasure that do not have the >math/physics/computer background to understand the sillyness of what >was written. Perhaps those without the background should be a little more cautious about accepting what I generally refer to as "The Gospel According to In-Flight Magazines". Far too many "Computer Experts" haven't got a clue about computers outside of what is printed in the media. Anyone who feels offended by having read this April Fools joke should be concentrating more on educating themselves than on formulating lawsuits against the publishers. >There are a lot of neophytes running around making all kinds of >decisions about computers that affect entire companies. This is my pet peeve. If there were people in the medical profession who showed the same level of irresponsibility and billed themselves as 'experts', we would be very quickly approaching extinction. If I had a nickel for every time I argued technical points with somebody who had no technical background but 'read it in a magazine', I would be a rich man. A company should not rely on an 'expert' simply because they know how to spell 'computer'. If they do, then they get everything that they deserve. >Articles like >this one do an incredible disservice and create more uneasiness about >computers and viruses. I disagree. Articles like this help to loosen the stifling paranoia that seems to have set in whenever the word 'Virus' is concerned. > Computer viruses are NOT something to joke about. Sure they are. Everything is open to humour. The moment that you start putting subjects off-limits is the moment you start adding to the paranoia. 'Virus' is not a dirty word. It's not a 'taboo' subject. I think that the humourous articles help to open up lines of communication that otherwise get closed down for fear of giving other people 'dangerous ideas'. > Several years ago I lost an entire 40Mb hard disk to something >(probably a trojan but I could never find it) Even though I had >backups I lost quite a bit of work that cost me several months to >recreate. They couldn't have been very good backups if they were 'several months' out of date. Sorry to say it, but it sounds like your backup strategy was at fault. You were just as likely to have a hardware failure as getting zapped by a virus. I won't bother to 'rub in' the fact that your computing practices resulted in you being infected. >Viruses and trojans are not something that should be joked about, >especially if there is the slightest chance that the "joke" could fall >into a novices lap. The same argument can be used about virtually any type of satirical humour. What if I was to tell you that placing a pound of plastic explosive into your engine would give you better acceleration? If you knew nothing about cars and nothing about explosives, you shouldn't be messing with either. (except at the user level). A typical user shouldn't have to worry about virus infection (<---general statement. There are always exceptions to the rule). If you buy your software out of the box, you don't pirate software or connect to BBS's, (or share disks and data with machines that do) there is very little chance of being infected. I actually met somebody who refused to buy a modem because 'hackers would be able to break into his machine' if he had a modem connected. Even now, he still unplugs his modem from the phone line when it's not in use (even when the machine is powered off!). He's convinced that there is a command that a hacker can send to force his modem to power up, answer the phone and power up his system. This is the result of 'magazine expertise'. Not humourists, but the mainstream 'experts' ranting on about how serious viruses are and how there's no defense. The hard facts are that good computing practices are more likely to save your user's ass than trying to put the fear of viruses into them. Lighten up and relax (this isn't directed primarily at you, Kevin...your letter just got me going.) Everybody on this list realizes that viruses ARE a threat, but they aren't the end of the world that some sources make them out to be. ______Opinions stated are my own. Transcripts available by request______ === =--==== AT&T Canada Inc. John Benfield =----==== 3650 Victoria Park Ave. Network Support Analyst (MIS) =----==== Suite 800 ==--===== Willowdale, Ontario attmail : ~jbenfield ======= M2H-3P7 email : uunet!attcan!john === (416) 756-5221 Compu$erve: 72137,722 ____Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines._____