THE VIRUS CONSTRUCTION SET PART II by Richard Karsmakers
Strange, stranger....utterly absurd!
In the world of computing, strange and maybe even slightly crazy
things happen all the time. But my wonders were raised to heights
unsuspected when I recently received a program called "Virus
Construction Set Part II". I had heard much of its notorious pre-
decessor, the "Virus Construction Set", already, and I was amazed
at how low people can go. This loathsome piece of programming -
probably the most perverted program ever to become available for
the ST - was probably not yet bad enough, for some mentally
deranged people must have found it necessary to put a sequel on
the market: The new "Virus Construction Set Part II" I already
mentioned.
Hush-hush copying behind drawn curtains
Our dear correspondent and MIDI freak, Frank Lemmen, had
succeeded in buying the program at the recent Atari Messe in
Dsseldorf, Germany (that I unfortunately could not attend)
however, so that I could include ways to destroy these viruses in
my new "Virus Destruction Utility". He had to buy it in a hush-
hush behind-the-scene copying session, since rumours were going
that Atari was forbidding its sale. He even had to promise not to
let ST NEWS give the address of the company that sold it (a
certain company in Bad Soden am Taunus that I will indeed not
mention), while he was guided behind some drawn curtains where an
ST was doing some copying. The program cost a massive 80 German
Marks, and that didn't particularly improve my mood that was
already quite depressed because of my inability to go to the
aforementioned Messe in the first place.
Wolves in sheep's clothes
For that amount of money you get a cheap manual that pretends to
tell everything you always wanted to know about viruses. It tells
what Biological as well as Computer-Viruses are, how they work,
and it puts quite some emphasis on the Destruction of Computer
Viruses. One might in fact mistake the major part of the manual
for a regular Computer Magazine's article.
The author is apparently convinced that Computer Viruses will
get rid of the problem of illegal copying, and that these nasty
little things will take care that all crackers in due course join
up with software companies - forming a pact that has enough
knowledge to combat the phenomena of the Computer Viruses. I
don't know what could have possible built up this utterly insane
theory inside the author's handicapped brain. He even acted as
ill as to publish a piece of artwork saying "Gib Computerviren
keine Chance!" ("Give Computerviruses no chance!") in the manual
where he started explaining his "Filter" program (a program that
recognizes files that are infected by the "VCS" viruses - and
DELETES them when found!!).
Where's the loo?.....I'm gonna vomit...
The last part of the manual is utterly revolting and it nearly
made me vomit several times: Lists of dates on which the program
was mentioned on the TV, radio or in Newspapers. I bet these
lunatics are PROUD on the ghastly job they did!! And if this all
isn't enough, they supply the reader with a list of extra things
they can buy with regard to viruses (A de-luxe "Virus Developers
Kit for DM 298,- with source code, shells.....ooooaarrgggh!) as
well as the possibility to participate in a Computervirus Seminar
for User or Software Developer (in which one is learned how to
protect oneself against viruses). MS-DOS "VCS" is also for sale,
as well as a "Virus-Filter-Kit".
Is this true? Or is it just a horrible nightmare?
This company (run by sick people) has succeeded in launching a
successful "Virus Construction Set" and is now zealously trying
to rip people off their money by offering Seminars and stuff like
that so that people can protect themselves from something the
SAME GUYS made in the first place!! (For example: Individual help
and development of custom protection routines costs you DM 680!!)
If you ask me, it's a miracle that these nurds are not yet placed
behind heavy metal bars in solitary confinement. They have
sickened the ST computer market like no-one else has ever done
before (they even put the "C't" computer magazine in the shade),
and it makes me feel weird right down into the guts to know that
something as extremely ridiculous as this exists anywhere on the
world. Words fail to describe what's going on here; the above
barely suffices to allow you to understand the full potential of
what's going on. It's viciously awful. It's as criminal as can
be!
A review?!
To hell with a review! This program doesn't even deserve the
cheapest white label disk to be put on, and the authors (of the
handbook as well as the program) should be declared mentally
highly unstable and put in an Asylum for the Very Very Insane for
life. It's pure obscenity and I am beginning to feel violently
ill the longer I think of it. If you want to buy this program for
any reasons other than to update your own virus killer program,
you are obviously just as bad as the aforementioned loonies. To
remind you of what I think what should be done against these
people, please refer to my 'Editorial' column in ST NEWS Volume 2
Issue 8 (don't read it if you're under 18 or belonging to the
more beautiful species of Homo sapiens called 'women').
I refuse to spend more of the precious ST NEWS space to this
program. It's about time that SOMEONE does something to STOP
what's going on here (Atari Corporation folks, consider this to
be a HINT of considerable size!!). In due course, a massive
spreading of programs like that (and especially the viruses they
produce) might KILL the Atari ST market even sooner than the
illegal software copiers are supposed to do!
�
Disclaimer
The text of the articles is identical to the originals like they appeared
in old ST NEWS issues. Please take into consideration that the author(s)
was (were) a lot younger and less responsible back then. So bad jokes,
bad English, youthful arrogance, insults, bravura, over-crediting and
tastelessness should be taken with at least a grain of salt. Any contact
and/or payment information, as well as deadlines/release dates of any
kind should be regarded as outdated. Due to the fact that these pages are
not actually contained in an Atari executable here, references to scroll
texts, featured demo screens and hidden articles may also be irrelevant.