LBA002@PRIME-A.TEES-POLY.AC.UK (06/28/90)
Article in the UK magazine Personal Computer World July 1990 p.202-206 "The Worm That Turned" by Ian Witten and Harold Thimbleton. Describes how they have utilised the same mechanism that a virus employs to spread itself to create dtabases that automatically update themselves. They call their software "liveware." Some definitions: Liveware - a hypertext (or other) database that updates itself automatically whenever the occasion arises. Enliven - to innoculate a person's computer with a Liveware information owner an owner of one or more cards in the database, and the only person permitted to change them. Database owner - the person responsible for the Liveware database as a whole. They are not empowered to alter information belonging to others. Signature - a code identifying an owner including their full name and perhaps an encrypted secret password that only they can generate. Livestamp - the Liveware information recorded on each card; signature information and time stamp. Merge - the joining of two Liveware databases together so that both contain the most recent information. Thimbleby works at Stirling University, Scotland. Witten is with the Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Canada. Rgds, Iain Noble Teesside Polytechnic Library, UK - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iain Noble | LBA002@pa.tp.ac.uk | Post: Main Site Library, JANET: LBA002@uk.ac.tp.pa | Teesside Polytechnic, EARN/BITNET: LBA002%pa.tp.ac.uk@UKACRL | Middlesbrough, INTERNET: LBA002%pa.tp.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu | Cleveland, UK, TS1 3BA UUCP: LBA002%tp-pa.ac.uk@ukc.uucp | Phone: +44 642 218121 x 4371 - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------