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Virus Writers - The Enemy Within

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the vandals-and-visigoths dept.

Slob Nerd writes "An interesting read from todays Observer "He's 21, he's got dreadlocks, likes punk bands... and his hobby could wreck your computer in seconds. Clive Thompson infiltrates the secret world of the virus writers who see their work as art - while others fear that it is cyber-terrorism.""

5 of 380 comments (clear)

  1. The enemy within ? by andy666 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Maybe you like to think that guy is "in" you, but believe me he is not in me, and never will be!!

  2. Society and business are good? by Moderation+abuser · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    You're assuming they see society and businesses as good things. Americans, five percent of the world's population consume a third of the world's resources. I mean, you define yourselves as consumers, plagues of locusts do little but consume and replicate. Maybe these guys are the good guys and you're the bad guy for supporting a parasitic society.

    --
    Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
  3. Re:Deftones aren't a punk band by rjshields · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    There are many words there which are corruptions of "normal" words used in reference to modern technology. That doesn't make them wrong. It makes them new.

    That would be a marvellous idea if it weren't for the fact that you haven't coined a new word or used an existing word in a new context, you've misspelt an existing word. That makes it wrong, not new.

    Here's a word I'd like you to read up about: 'hypocrisy'.

    Perhaps you should look up the definition of that word, since the only time that pointing out a common spelling mistake would be hypocritical would be if I were to make one myself.

    --
    In this world nothing is certain but death, taxes and flawed car analogies.
  4. Re:Wreck MY computer? by 4lex · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    If you want to be fair, I suspect it should
    read "Microsoft Windows" or "Microsoft Windows
    or Microsoft Office". I doubt there are a lot of attacks
    through Age of Empires, for example.

    Otherwise, I am completely with you. It should
    read "Microsoft Windows virus" and
    "Microsoft Windows worm", not "computer worm"
    and not "internet virus". Linux, Mac OS X and
    the BSDs would get more acceptance, should
    Microsoft OS finally get its hard earned infame.

    --
    My journal. Mainly about freedom.
  5. Re:My Hero by JuggleGeek · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    My inbox has dozens of viruses dumped into it every day, which completely and totally pisses me off. However, I'd still shake the hand of the writers of some of the cleverer viruses, I bear them no grudge; they're simply filling a niche created by incompetant programmers at microsoft.

    Yeah, and graffiti artists are simply filling a niche created by incompetent designers at Acme Brick.

    Sorry, but virus writers are vandals. There isn't any "niche" there, there are just punks who feel that screwing up other peoples computers is fun.