Tris: Probably Dr Solomons. I got my first virus on a BBC B in about 1987/8. The Italian virus - apparently it looked like ping pong balls jumping up and down on the screen. It really made an early version of Hal sound interesting! David W Wood GUILDFORD PHYSIOTHERAPY AND SPORTS CLINIC MATTHEWS HOUSE 85 EPSOM ROAD GUILDFORD SURREY GU1 3PA T: 01483 575876 (APPOINTMENTS) 302691 (ALL OTHER INQUIRIES) E: reception@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx W: http://tinyurl.com/5wptcp ____________________ DISCLAIMER The information contained in this e-mail is strictly confidential and is intended solely for the individual/s to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this e-mail in error please delete it immediately. Any disclosure including but not withstanding reading copying or distribution of all or part of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Although this email and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus or any other defect which might affect any computer or system on which they are received and/or opened it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility is accepted by The Guildford Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt or use thereof. Any opinions or advice contained in this email are not necessarily those of The Guildford Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic or any individual or individuals working or acting on its behalf. All prices shown are in pounds sterling and exclude VAT, Delivery and Expense charges unless otherwise stated. -----Original Message----- From: jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tristram Llewellyn Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 10:18 AM To: jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [jaws-uk] Re: first virus 20 years ago My first virus was late in 1990, not quite 20 years ago but almost and was called "stoned" and was created by an individual campaigning for the legalisation of marajuana some years before that even. The "stoned" virus would stop your PC from booting and declare on-screen "You're PC is now stoned!". You were stuck unless you could use a clean boot disk and anti-virus, I am not even sure Norton anti-virus existed then and cannot recall what it was but I think whatever company it was the idea may have been brought by Norton for subsequent efforts. I stayed pretty virus free for a number of years, things developed rather more sedately on the virus front then. Then I ended up coming into contact with a lot of different PCs which brings me onto another point here. I should correct a historical inaccuracy that may have escaped many that listened to that Today package. In the package they connected the Internet and viruses as if they were inextricably linked at the start. This is not quite the case, in those days only a tiny number of people had access to the Internet. Mainly it was academics and students in Universities and colleges (mostly USA), there were tiny numbers of home Internet users. Most computers were not connected to anything, the idea of networking PCs was what you would call a hot topic in computer mags of the time, but far fewer than the majority ever were connected to anything let alone the Internet. These facts meant that the primary vector of transmission was not a network connection or the internet but a floppy disk, sometimes quaintly known as "sneaker net" as people litterally trasported information on floppy disk by walking from machine to machine. For many years until the widespread use the world wide web in the mid 90s the floppy disk was the primary way viruses got around. Therefore to assert that viruses and the Internet are hand in hand is a little inaccurate. It was more the result of us growing up from the Sinclair Spectrums and Commodore 64s of the day and heading into the rise and eventual dominance of the IBM PC compatible clone PC which ensured code good or bad ran an thousands upon thousands of machines and Internet eventually making it all so much easier for this stuff to get around. Finally, both AVG version 8.0 and Nod 32 version 2.7 are accessible to screen readers and represent the two choices of free and paid for anti-virus. Regards. Tristram Llewellyn Technical Support Sight and Sound Technology Welton House North Wing, Summerhouse Road, Moulton Park, NN3 6WD Web : www.sightandsound.co.uk Email: tristram.llewellyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Support: Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx General: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: Support line: 0845 634 7979 01604 798 000 Sight and Sound Technology Limited is a company registered in England and Wales, with company number 1408275. Sight and Sound Technology Limited is a trading subsidiary of 2nd Phoenix Limited. Registered Address - Blenheim House, York Road, Pocklington, York, YO42 1NS. VAT Number - GB 860 2121 66. ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.3.0/1505 - Release Date: 16/06/2008 07:20 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.4.0/1506 - Release Date: 17/06/2008 16:30 ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** jaws-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq