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To: Jonathan Bird who wrote (6355)	11/13/1997 6:49:00 PM
From: BillHoo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213173

"there would be no way to get it to excute" Back around 1982, I asked programmers if it were possible to create a program that could program itself onto another computer or storage media and execute itself to redo those tasks onto other connected systems. Something like a self-replicating Von Neumann machines theorized by NASA physicists in the 1960s. Some friends said, "You know what? In biological terms, what you are describing is a virus. The simplest of DNA code programmed to do nothing, but self-replicate and pass itself on to other biological systems and wreak havoc with the host." Many programmers said, "It might be possible, but you'd never get it to execute!" By October of 1984 splashed across the front pages were headlines that a Princeton University computer network had fallen victim to the world's first computer virus. I believe if it can be flowcharted, it can be done. Perhaps something like this pseudo-code program (Each program string less than 257 characters): Triggered by a URL embedded in Internet Explorer or MS Word doc, you are sent to a web page which automatically loads into browser and starts to execute perhaps it is html, perhaps it is shockwave code, or even part of a quicktime image. String 1: Allocated protected space in RAM, load String 2 String 2: Load strings 3 to 50000. MESSAGE ON SCREEN: Loading Quicktime Movie LET'S SKIP TO STRING 50000 String 50000: If strings 3 to 50000 are loaded, then mesh, load . String 50001 String 50001: If superstring = strings 3 to 50000 then run STRINGS 3 TO 50000 WOULD CONTAIN MOST OF THE BASIC VIRAL COMPONENTS FOR SELF-REPLICATION, COPYING TO CACHE FILES ON THE HARD DRIVE, SEEKING OUT OTHER SYSTEMS, DISABLING VIRUS PROTECTION AND ALL SORTS OF NASTY THINGS. I'm not a virus programmer, but I'm sure it could happen. Anyone care to take the challenge? -Bill_H