Although Brain was the first PC virus, it was not the first malicious computer program. .That honour goes to the Elk Cloner virus written by Richard Skrenta which infected Apple II machines

					Elk Cloner is the first known computer virus that has spread "in the wild", i.e., outside the computer system or lab it was written in. It was written around 1982 by a 15-year-old high school student named Richard Skrenta for Apple II systems. Elk Cloner spread by infecting the Apple II's operating system, stored on floppy disks. When the computer was booted from an infected floppy, a copy of the virus would automatically start. The virus would not normally alter the working of the computer, except from monitoring disk access. When an uninfected floppy was accessed, the virus would copy itself to the disk, thus infecting it, too, slowly spreading from floppy to floppy. Like many of the early viruses, Elk Cloner did not cause any deliberate harm, although it could harm disks not containing the standard DOS image - it overwrote its reserved tracks regardless of the contents. Like many of the early viruses, however, it did cause annoyance: on every 50th booting the virus would display a short "poem", as follows:   Elk Cloner:  The program with a personality   It will get on all your disks     It will infiltrate your chips       Yes it's Cloner!   It will stick to you like glue     It will modify ram too       Send in the Cloner! Annoyance in fact was the raison d'être of the virus. Its 15-year-old author previously had the habit of giving out pirated computer games to his friends, but games modified such that they would stop working after a given number of games. This scheme guaranteed a high level of annoyance: by the time those friends grew to like the programs the programs would stop working, usually with some "humorous" message (at least as judged by their author). After a while those friends learned never to allow Skrenta near their disks. Here came Cloner, which could annoy friends without Skrenta physically gaining access to their disks. According to contemporary reports, the virus was rather contagious, successfully infecting the floppies of most people Skrenta knew (including his math teacher), upsetting many of them (including the said math teacher). Part of the "success", of course, was that people were not at all wary of the potential problem (virus infection could have been avoided by not inserting floppies into computers without hard-booting them before), nor were virus scanners or cleaners available. The virus could still be removed but it required an elaborate manual effort.

					PC viruses hit 20 year milestone The first PC virus travelled around on floppy disks The 20th anniversary of the first PC virus falls this month. It was during the opening weeks of 1986 that the first PC virus, called Brain, was discovered in the wild. Though it achieved fame because it was the first of its type, the virus was not widespread as it could only travel by hitching a ride on floppy disks swapped between users. Now 20 years after they first appeared there are more than 150,000 malicious programs in existence. Rapid attack The origins of the Brain virus are disputed. It is thought to have been created by a Pakistani software firm to help protect the software it created and sold. The virus was discovered in January 1986 but may have been written some time before that as it used a relatively slow method to travel. The most significant change has been the evolution of virus writing hobbyists into criminally operated gangs bent on financial gain Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure Brain was known as a "boot-sector" virus because of the area on a floppy disk it hid on. By concealing itself in this region, the virus could ensure that it would be installed every time that floppy disk was used on another computer. The Brain virus is now extinct. The term computer virus dates from 1984 and was coined by US computer scientist Fred Cohen. Since Brain first appeared, the number of viruses and other malicious programs in circulation has grown enormously. Microsoft's Windows operating system is the favourite target of virus writers. The growth of local computer networks, e-mail and the internet has fuelled this rise and now it can take only hours for a new virus to appear and infect thousands. There are also many different types of viruses that use varying attack types to infect machines. The reasons people write viruses has also changed. "The most significant change has been the evolution of virus writing hobbyists into criminally operated gangs bent on financial gain," said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure. This week the FBI released figures which suggest that 84% of US businesses were attacked by viruses, spyware and other malicious programs in 2005. On average, dealing with the attack cost US businesses $24,000, said the FBI.

					6.0  How many viruses affect the Macintosh? ===========================================   There are around 40 Mac-specific viruses and related threats. ++Mac users with Word 6 or versions of Word/Excel supporting Visual Basic   for Applications, however, are vulnerable to infection by macro   viruses which are specific to these applications. Indeed, these   viruses can, potentially, infect other files on any hardware   platform supporting these versions of these applications. I don't   know of a macro virus with a Mac-specific payload that actually   works at present, but such a payload is entirely possible. ++Office 98 applications are in principle vulnerable to most of the   threats to which Office 97 applications are vulnerable. I'll return   to this subject when and if time allows. [DH]   Word Mac version 5.1 and below do not support WordBasic, and are   not, therefore, vulnerable to direct infection. Not only do these   versions not only understand embedded macros, but they can't read   the Word 6 file format unaided. There is, however, at least one   freeware utility which allows Word 5.x users to read Word 6 files.   This will not support execution of Word 6 (or WinWord 2) macros in   Word 5.x, so I would not expect either an infection routine or a   payload routine to be able to execute within this application.   However, Word 5.x users may contribute indirectly to the spread of   infected files across platforms and systems, since it is perfectly   possible for a user whose own system is uninfectable to act as a   conduit for the transmission of infected documents, whether or not   s/he reads it personally.   Files infected with a PC-specific file virus (this excludes macro   viruses) can only execute on a Macintosh running DOS or DOS/Windows   emulation, if then. They can, of course, spread across platforms   simply by copying infected files from one system to another.   DOS diskettes infected with a boot sector virus can be read on a   Mac with Apple File Exchange, PC Exchange, DOS Mounter etc. without   (normally) risk to the Mac. However, leaving such an infected disk   in the drive while booting an emulator such as SoftPC can mean that   the virus attempts to infect the logical PC drive with   unpredictable results.   I am aware of at least one instance of a Mac diskette which, when   read on a PC running a utility for reading Mac-formatted disks   after being infected with a boot-sector infector, became unreadable   as a consequence of the boot track infection.   Some Mac viruses may damage files on Sun systems running MAE or   AUFS.

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					Disney's Pixar takeover is boost for Jobs By Ben Richardson BBC News business reporter Steve Jobs has seen Apple grow from unknown firm to top brand Steve Jobs, the head of Apple, has had his share of ups and downs, including a battle with cancer and at one time even being ousted from the computer company he founded. But the self-styled outsider and college dropout who was famously paid $1 a year at Apple has refused to quietly fade away. His fortunes have revived in recent years and Disney's purchase of animation firm Pixar may finally have cemented his position as a main player in the technology and media industries. The question is: where does he go now? Picture showdown Following the $7.4bn (£4.1bn) takeover of Pixar, the company he bought in 1986 for $10m, Mr Jobs gains a place on Disney's board of directors. Some observers are already tipping him to be Disney's new chairman. The success of Pixar's Toy Story caught the industry by surprise This situation would have been impossible last year, when Mr Jobs and former Disney boss Michael Eisner had a very public falling out. On the surface the battle seemed to be about distribution rights, but at its core was a tussle over who would define the future of increasingly profitable animated films. The power of Disney, the pioneer and grand-daddy of the genre, was on the wane, while Pixar was the thrusting young upstart itching to fill its boots. However, Disney had an ace up its sleeve - a distribution network that alongside its marketing and merchandising expertise could make or break films such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life. Cash stream? For shareholders the spat between the two firms was vexing, and helped speed Mr Eisner's exit from the home of Mickey Mouse. Disney's new boss Robert Iger immediately looked to smooth the ruffled feathers and get Pixar and Mr Jobs back on board. I want to put a ding in the universe Steve Jobs Check Disney's shares The first sign that relations had thawed was when Disney agreed to sell television programmes from its ABC channel, including hits Desperate Housewives and Lost, through Apple's iTunes music and video systems. Analysts applauded the deal, saying that with Apple's understanding of how to make technology user friendly, it was likely that many more consumers would be tempted to watch TV programmes on digital players such as an iPod. While this may be a small revenue stream at present, for companies like Disney it could become a powerful money-spinner. The problem is that few media companies have really grasped the full potential the technology can offer them, analysts believe. 'Speak his mind' And this is where Mr Jobs, who once said he wanted "to put a ding in the universe", is likely to come into his own. "It is critical that media companies gain a greater understanding of technology and the impact it may have on their businesses," Kathy Styponia, an analyst at Prudential Securities was quoted in the Financial Times as saying. The outspoken Mr Jobs is unlikely to wait about for divine inspiration "No company understands technology and the consumer better than Apple," she added. At Apple, Mr Jobs describes his role as making space for creative people to work in, and keeping the rest of the company out of there. While he may not get the chance to be so hands-on at Disney, it is unlikely that he will sit quietly. "Jobs is a maverick guy who is not afraid to speak his mind," Joe Bonner, an analyst at Argus Research told the Independent newspaper. "He's outspoken. He would not be a quiet little boy on Disney's board." Many in the market believe that Mr Jobs may manage to shake things up at Disney, especially as he thinks that "innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower". They will be watching to see if Mr Jobs can get Disney to follow in his footsteps.

					Gates gives $600m more to stop TB By Tim Weber Business editor, BBC News website, in Davos Bill Gates has teamed up with the British and Nigerian governments The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis has received a $600m (£337m) boost from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The campaign, backed by more than 400 organisations worldwide, aims to treat 50 million people in the next 10 years. Launching the plan with UK Chancellor Gordon Brown and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr Gates said it was a "chance to save 14 million lives". Mr Gates has already committed $300m to the programme, but the total cost of the plan will be $56bn over 10 years. This is a tragedy because the disease is completely curable Dr David Moore Analysis: 'Marathon' TB fight On Thursday, Mr Brown had told parliament that the UK would contribute £41.7m ($75m) to tackle tuberculosis in India, as part of the new plan to fight the disease. The programme was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "Every 15 seconds somebody dies of TB, avoidably, preventably," said Mr Brown. Global epidemic Innovations in finding treatments for diseases like TB had to be assisted by finance ministers around the world providing innovative ways of financing such programmes, he said. Mr Brown and Mr Obasanjo pledged to push for making the fight against TB a priority for the G8 group of industrialised countries and the African Union respectively. "The Global Plan is fundamental for Africa, where tuberculosis was declared an emergency by 46 countries in 2005," Mr Obasanjo said. Marcus Espinal, in charge of the TB programme of the World Health Organization, predicted that "we will break the back of the global TB epidemic". With 15 diagnostic tests and 28 new medicines in development, it should be possible to revolutionise the treatment of tuberculosis, shrink treatment time and beat drug resistance, he said. A tuberculosis vaccine could be developed by 2012, he predicted. Mr Espinal said it was poignant that the programme was launched in Davos, once famous around the world for its TB sanatorium and setting for Thomas Mann's book The Magic Mountain. The plan aims to implement one of the United Nations' Millennium Goals, which called for a halt in the spread of TB and progress in reducing incidences of the disease by 2015. The Global Fund hopes to spend about $47bn on TB treatment and control, and $9bn on research and development.

					Remeber the $100 laptop, Steve offered osX free for them all with free updates for life

					I really don't know what's in Bill Gates' heart right now, but when his donations began it was ostensibly related to a now public Microsoft memo saying it would be "good PR" if he donated money to something.

					Apple - Thinking Different Again Posted on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 at 10:59 am in Mike's Book - Jobs I've Known. A key figure in the US civil rights movement died on October 24th…her name was Rosa Parks. I confess to be only vaguely aware of her name in the past, but I knew she was involved in the famous bus segregation incident. Apple showed that they really do ‘think different’ by turning their home page into a memorial. The image is one that they used before in their ‘Think Different’ campaign. Apple’s Home Page Honors Rosa Parks This simple tribute had two effects on me: first, it caused me to do a bit of Googling to learn more about her, and second it made me reflect on the very real ways that Apple differs from other large companies. This made me curious if any high profile sites may have similar tributes, so I started jumping to the home pages of all the ‘big’ web sites I could think of. Not too surprisingly, except for the news sites, there was no mention to be found anywhere of Rosa’s passing. What does this mean? Does it mean anything? Well for me it continues to demonstrate that Apple, more than any other company I know of, has a heart. And more importantly, it lets its heart participate in the operation of the company. Sure, they are a publicly held company and are concerned with all the usual stuff: sales, profit, shareholder value, etc. But that’s not all there is to it. If you get anything out of reading this book, I hope it will be some understanding that Apple is defined by its people and the things they create; not by ROI and EBITDA. Deja Vu This is not the first time Apple’s has turned their home page into a tribute. Back on November 2001, something similar happened much ‘closer to home’. It was early on November 30th, and I was sitting at my desk in 1 Infinite Loop reading the news. I was stunned when I saw a headline saying the George Harrison had died. As with many others of my generation, his music had been an important part of my life for many years. It really hit me hard. I sat there in a dark contemplative mood for quite awhile, feeling quite alone in my grief. But then I realized I wasn’t alone; many of my colleagues at Apple were Harrison fans, and I was sure they’d also feel the need express some of their feelings at this moment. This gave me an idea…one that took considerable courage on my part: I would suggest to Steve that Apple put some sort of tribute on the home page. Up to this point, all my dealings with Steve had been strictly business, and I was afraid he’d think I was some kind of sentimental looney. But my feelings pushed me forward…I sent Steve this note: Then I waited nervously. Several hours passed with no response, so I concluded that he wasn’t interested and sort of put it out of my mind. But that wasn’t the end of it. Later that evening, I’m back at my desk and get a call from Tom M (the Final Cut Pro product manager) who tells me he had just come from a meeting with the web group and they were all working overtime tonight because of me. ‘What? What do you mean?’ I asked. Turns out that Steve did not think it was a stupid idea, as I feared, but instead had put the web team to work on coming up with something suitable. So, late that night, after a couple rounds back and forth with Steve to choose the best photos, the Apple home page became this: There were three different photos of George Harrison shown in rotation. It was one of my proudest moments at Apple; not just because I made the suggestion that prompted this memorial, but because I was honored to be part of a company that lets its heart guide its actions.

					http://writersblocklive.com/part-10

					For the first time in its history BBC News is opening its archives to the UK public for a trial period. You can download nearly 80 news reports covering iconic events of the past 50 years including the fall of the Berlin Wall, crowds ejecting soldiers from Beijing's Tiananmen Square and behind-the-scenes footage of the England team prior to their victory over West Germany in 1966. You are welcome to download the clips, watch them, and use them to create something unique. This is a pilot and we want to understand your creative needs. We'd like to see your productions and showcase some of the most interesting ones we receive. Before you start downloading, there are certain terms and conditions you must read and agree to, about how the clips can be used. Find out more about the rules in brief and all you need to know about this trial.

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