However, give it 10 years. Although we’ll have an increase in teenage crackers in that time, we’ll also have less ignorant computer users (thanks to our “all-computer” upbringing).

just because you have a firewall sitting in front of your system does not mean that it’s protected. if you’re going to use a computer (with whatever system you choose to use – i don’t particularly care for these debates), then you should at least get a clue and get real about the situation.

i’ve known of many cases where people have opened an email, downloaded the attachment, and actually executed the program even when they’ve been told not to. the point is that technology isn’t going to solve the problem – these viruses should have given enough evidence to suggest this. malicious programs have been around for years and we still see companies profiting from the fear of their users.

why would someone want to use a computer if they’re not prepared to learn how to use it? it isn’t just about knowing how to copy your files from one disk to another, playing your music, writing your emails, and having frag-fests with buddies. you need to be aware of the internals of your system, the kind of code that is used to create the compiled executables, the methods and techniques of virus authors, and the mentality and motivation which comes with it. the world of computers belong to (using your terminonolgy – the ‘elitist nerds’ – i actually disagree with this label, but that’s another issue), but it’s the average user who causes the damage, not the viruses.

if you study the culture, then you can understand the significance of these malicious creations. some are on an ego trip (these are often teenagers with vb scripts), most do it for the challenge, and a few have criminal intent. fear is for the ignorant.

psyphen