[Linux-aus] Re: [Osia-discuss] New PITA virus going around

[Steven D'Aprano <steve@cyber.com.au>]

On Mon, Jun 27, 2005 at 12:57:27PM +0800, Leon Brooks wrote:
> On Monday 27 June 2005 12:32, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> 
> I take your point, but:
> 
> > Suppose there was some black-hat sitting in Romania or Bulgeria or
> > Nigeria or somewhere, running a room full of Linux machines. He is
> > sending out millions of faked emails every minute. If administrators
> > wrongly blacklist people on the basis of those faked emails, would
> > you be happy to blame Linus Torvalds and/or Richard Stallman for the
> > problem, on the basis that it was Linux and GNU tools that allowed
> > the emails to be sent?
> 
> That's not a useful experiment. If he were using *other*people's* Linux 
> boxes to do the spamming, then sure. But he's not, and *can't* - at 
> least, not to anything like the same extent - which is the key point.

The problem isn't so much the virus -- that's just more of the same, and
besides, the more Windows viruses, the better for us. The problem is the
blacklisting of innocent people. And that is no more Microsoft's fault
than it would be Linus' fault.



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Steven D'Aprano 
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