[Off-topic] Java viruses (Was: Re: Plain text please ! (Was: Re: [boost] Re: build system?))

From: William Kempf (sirwillard_at_[hidden])
Date: 2000-07-31 16:35:27

--- In boost_at_[hidden], David Allan Finch <sarum_at_v...> wrote:
> This will be my last post on this issue to the list. It is
> way off topic and probably borring to most people. I will
> be happy to discuss any further point directly via email.

I agree totally with this.  The only reason I'm responding now is 
that a misunderstanding occurred, for which I think I owe a public 
appology.

> > MS bashing aside (shows poor profesionalism, IMHO), you are 
correct
> > that VBScript is much more dangerous than Java applets.  Even MS
> > knows this... as evidenced by the upcoming ILM.
> 
> Attually I take exception to this. It is unprofessional to
> point out when a company was wrong! OK just to
> prove I can slag off Sun. What about Sun's refusal to
> ship X initially (yes I have been working on Sun's
> that long), and there denial that they had a bug in there
> display driver that would trash your root partition. They
> quietly fix the bug in there next version, we almost
> lost of client because of this bug. I can think of lots more
> if you wish. No company is perfect. M$ made a judgement
> call and where wrong, they have it appears got around
> to fixing it but after how many email virus have wasted
> almost unestimatable man hours! That I call unprofessional!

I meant the comment was unprofessional, mostly because of the 
derogatory name given (M$, despite its popularity on the net, is a 
derogatory bastardization of MS, and is no less offensive than LinSux 
being used in reference to Linux or $un in reference to Sun).  I did 
not mean to imply that you personally were unprofessional, only that 
the comment was.  I know that several others on this particular list 
use this term as well, and with some justification considering the 
difficulties in dealing with the current VC compiler, but IMHO even 
this frustration doesn't justify it.  All that said, I do appologize 
for leaving the impression that I was calling you unprofessional.
 
> > Maybe you should monitor the Internet for info like this if it 
means
> > so much to you.
> 
> I do, I am supprised that I did not know of the two to mensioned
> above. If fact I asked around the office and we all had a blank on
> them. I am happy to admit I was wrong, I also do not see my
> being wrong as unprofessional. We only learn by making mistakes,
> anyone that does not understand and plan for this is not an
> engineer. In fact if I had not been so certain of my facts initially
> I would not have placed myself up to be shot down. :-)

I most definately did not mean that you were unprofessional because 
you were unaware of the Java viri that exist.  I only suggested you 
monitor the internet for such information because your salutation 
indicated that you were very interested in info like this and when I 
did a search of the web it took exactly three seconds to find the two 
viri I mentioned.  Again, I appologize for the perceived slight.
 
> As I said at the start of this email, I will not post
> on this topic again here, unless I am again called
> unprofessional. As my boss would say I don't do
> enough work to be unprofessional :-)

Again, calling you unprofessional was not my intent.  In fact, doing 
so would be unprofessional of myself.  I'm sorry for the 
misunderstanding.

William E. Kempf