Slashdot Mirror
20 Years of Computer Viruses
Tuxedo Jack writes "The Register reports that twenty years ago today (19 January 1986), the first computer virus, Brain, was discovered. By modern standards, this was a minor virus, and it spread by floppy disks, which is a far cry from the network-aware worms of today. Still, though, it was the first noted virus, and we've had twenty years of pain and annoyance from it and its successors. Happy birthday, Brain, you and all your little virus friends - just know we're doing our damndest to keep you from having more."
Thanks to the Blaster virus, I'm getting married in 2 days. See, viruses aren't all bad.
Feed the need: Digitaladdiction.net
...Did it run on linux..?
Requiring the user to execute an email attachment is to spreading invisibly via floppy disk
as
a) Slashdot is to news
b) Bush is to Clinton
c) Moth is to butterfly
d) Suicide is to STD
I LOVE YOU
The brothers reportedly created the virus to deter pirated copies of software they had written.
Predecessor to the SONY rootkit!
*ducks*
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Time to whip out the old 5 1/4" floppies!!!!!!
If you are getting married because of a viral outbreak, then it's simplest to just think of yourself as a virtual-wartime profiteer.
20 years ago: Beware of this VIRUS
20 days ago: lol this is not a virus
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
See? Apples have always had innovations years before PCs.
The only computer virus I've ever had was the WDEF virus. Disinfectant caught it right away. That was 1992, so I guess I'm too smug.
Oh well, Sony won't be able to claim Prior Art.
Windows is also 20 years old, give or take a couple of months.
:)
Laugh, it's a joke. Windows wasn't even natively network aware until 10 years later
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
Silly Ryanr!
Did no one inform you that all computers are X86 based PCs, all operating systems Microsoft Windows, and all web browsers Internet Explorer?
I guess you didn't get the memo.
"No, I'm Brian, and so's my wife!"
Get your own free personal location tracker
so they should file a patent on this. Think about the royalties they could take in
30% Troll, 50% Underrated, 10% Interesting
Score:5, Troll
Coincidently, it was twenty years ago today that my first sexually transmiteed virus, Herpes, was discovered. Compared to today's potential bird flu, its a minor virus, and like Brain, it spread by my "floppy disk" (as I like to call it). Still, though, it was my first noted virus, and I've had twenty years of pain and annoyance from it and its many successors. Happy birthday, Herpes, you and all your little virus friends - just know I'm doing my damndest to keep myself from having more.
The same thing we do every night, Pinky, try to infect the world!
If you smoke after sex, you're doing it too fast.
wake me up when it arrives...
You will soon be the first ./ user to 'do the worm' twice in one year.
Read Pynchon.
I get STONED most evenings.
sudo killall humans
I remember my PC getting stoned from a game being passed around, what an annoyance that was (relatively speaking). From that point on I swore never to let my computers near drugs again.
The unexamined life is not worth living
Pushing back the release date, of course. ;)
Ah the olden days. Good times.
...that's also when Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.
I wouldn't have love at all.
This virus taught me that no warning will stop humans from investigating urequited love notes from their office coworkers.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Makes you wonder how Quantum Viruses would be.
The good news is that you won't get infected until you observe the virus.
The bad news is that if you do observe the virus, you have a 50/50 chance of a dead cat inside your computer.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)