From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2003-07-11T13:12:20+09:00
Subject: Re: My brief and torrid affair with Ruby.

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On Fri, Jul 11, 2003 at 12:49:13PM +0900, Sean O'Dell wrote:

> Take a look at this: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=virus
> 
> Search for "a virus cannot infect other computers without assistance" on
> that page.  A virus, according to "The Free On-line Dictionary of
> Computing," requires action on the part of the victim to work.  I would say
> that contradicts you view "that you can get them without your [consent]."

I have never agreed to be sick, but I have been sick many times.  The fact 
that a virus requires assistance is not the same as a virus requiring 
consent.

Have you ever gotten sick without doing it in purpose?



> If that's not convicing, then perhaps you could perhaps provide some sort of
> reference that shows that one defining property of a virus is that it
> infects its host without consent,

Perhaps we disagree on the word consent.  I have been sick many times 
without my consent.  Indeed, every single time I've been sick, it has been 
without my consent.


> As a matter of personal opinion, I reject that a virus is only a virus when
> it can infect without consent, and further reject the notion that since the
> GPL requires action on the part of the developer in order to replicate
> itself, it must not be a virus.

The we disagree.  Since I claim that the fact the GPL can only replicate 
with conset disqualifies it from being a virus.

- -- 
Daniel Carrera         | OpenPGP fingerprint:
Graduate TA, Math Dept | 6643 8C8B 3522 66CB D16C D779 2FDD 7DAC 9AF7 7A88
UMD  (301) 405-5137    | http://www.math.umd.edu/~dcarrera/pgp.html
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