Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1993 18:12:35 -0500
From: Mike McNally <mcnally@EECS.UMICH.EDU>
Subject: File 4--Re: Debating the Virus contest - 3 (#5.23)

In article <1993Mar28.222658.9625@chinacat.unicom.com> "Roy
Batchelor" writes:

>This note is in reference to the current issue of CuD and the all
the
>discussion of Mark Ludwigs' virus writing contest.
>
[...]
>
>So, the book gets published  and sells lots of copies. Mark Ludwig
>arrives home one day to find that his place of residence has been
>destroyed by a huge bomb. It just so happens that the type of bomb
>used is the same award winning explosive device as I published in
my
>book.
>
>Surely, Mr. Ludwig would not hold me responsible for the
destruction
>of his home caused by someone who decided to implement the plans
I
>presented purely for "scientific research purposes".

  Though I'm sure you meant this sarcastically, I'll take it at
face
value.  In such a situation *I* wouldn't blame you, I'd blame the
person responsible for setting the bomb.  If you were run over by
a
drunk driver, who would you blame?  Henry Ford?  Jack Daniels? 
Mobil
Oil, for selling the driver the gas the car needed to run?

  The responsibility for such an action belongs completely to the
person who initiates the action, not the thousands of people
involved
in making the whole situation possible.  Why not blame the authors
of
MS-DOS for writing an OS that's such an easy host for viruses?

Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253