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- Path: sparky!uunet!think.com!yale.edu!jvnc.net!netnews.upenn.edu!netnews.cc.lehigh.edu!news
- From: ygoland@edison.SEAS.UCLA.EDU (The Jester)
- Newsgroups: comp.virus
- Subject: Viral Code Access
- Message-ID: <0018.9301071651.AA16031@barnabas.cert.org>
- Date: 6 Jan 93 08:44:34 GMT
- Sender: virus-l@lehigh.edu
- Lines: 43
- Approved: news@netnews.cc.lehigh.edu
-
- I REALLY don't mean to start this debate again but my personal
- experience have left me with little choice:
-
- The Situation:I am trying to get ahold of a certain virus because it
- implements certain features which are of central importance to a paper
- I'm writing. (Note:I am trying VERY hard to leave out all details
- because I want this to be a discussion of topic and not a hidden
- request, something the moderator has made clear he will not stand for
- and a request I intend to respect.) The problem is that for all
- intents and purposes I am a 'nobody'. I am a Junior at U.C.L.A.'s
- school of engineering and getting my degree in computer science and
- engineering. In addition just about everybody has a dead on
- prohibition against giving anyone their viral code, even though they
- got it from someone. So I have been totaly unable to get a copy of
- this virus.
-
- Solution:One researcher who shall rename nameless suggested that I
- call a virus exchange board in order to get a copy of the virus. In
- other words that I go skulk around with the miscreants who keep many
- of you employed so I can get the material I need for my paper. However
- its not just a matter of dealing with the lowest of the low. Many
- viral exchange bbses require you to upload a new virus in order to
- access their collection. Should I go out and write some hyper deadly
- virus so I can get into their collection in order to look at the
- virus that every researcher and his brother already has but is to
- scared to give out? Maybe I should just write a moderatly deadly
- virus? A dude? What?
-
- Is this how the anti-viral community wants to run itself? Is this
- 'open and free exchange of information'?
-
- [Moderator's note: This is obviously a touchy subject. I stand by my
- policy of keeping requests for live viruses off of the group. At the
- same time, I certainly recognize the need to get virus samples to the
- appropriate people for analysis purposes. I welcome thoughts and
- discussions on this issue.]
-
- Yaron (The Jester) Goland
- - --
- "Only the blind see in color."
- "Any union based upon pigment is foolish ignorance designed to
- give power to those few who enjoy power's taste above the common
- welfare."
-