Date:         Tue, 6 Dec 1994 14:37:39 -0600
   From: Holly Henry <[log in to unmask]>
 
   Anita,
 
   I don't really care what anyone says, please keep posting those
   messages.  Whether they can or cannot attach themselves is a question for
   someone more knowledgeable than me, but it helps to know of any kind of
   virus these days.
I guess I disagree. If I may be so bold as to make an analogy: If you call
me up at work, and say you just looked out your window and saw my house
burning down, I'd be incredibly greatful (assuming you didn't start it!)
and could call the fire department and do something about the problem. If
instead you called me up at work, and said a neighbor had said a friend had
said that there was a fire somewhere in New Jersey, I'd be less than
impressed.
 
I know we can't all be experts in all areas of museums, which is why
this list is so usefull, but we can apply the same high level of rigour to
questions and postings. The first question is how closely the posting
relates to museums.  Viruses are pretty far away from the core
discussions. Second will the posting really inform? Viruses are
typically specific to one set of software and one set of hardware.
Hoaxes in the virus world are very common. There are other forums
where viruses are discussed, and authoritative warning services, such
as CERT, so again one must think hard if posting to museum-l is the
right thing. Finally, if your motivation as a public service is to
have any real value, you must post the provenance of your report and
an indication of what hardware and software.  I'm afraid otherwise
it's just another fire in New Jersey.
 
[I know I did use the word fire in the post, but I am trying hard for this
to have real content and not just be a flame]
 
Mark.
=--=--=
Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the
unthinking.
  --John Maynard Keynes