"ransomeware", not in OED3; GBooks 2005--

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Below is an instance of "ransomware" that was probably published circa
1987. The definition provided in the excerpt below differed from the
one given in Wikipedia entry for "Ransomware" given here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware_%28malware%29

A Google Books snippet in the target book showed part of the cover of
volume 6 number 3 which was dated: October 1987. So there is support
for the accuracy of the 1987 date.

The most natural place to search for this term is Usenet, I think. But
the Advanced Google Groups Search page apparently has been moved or
obliterated. My bookmark for the search webpage no longer works.

Periodical Title: Newsletter
Organization: Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas.
Publisher: Arcata, CA : The Society,
Volume: 6
Issues: 3-4
Quote: Page 12
(Google Books metadata; Snippet view only; data may be incorrect

[Begin extracted text]
... shareware, "software distributed free of charge, but registration
with a fee entitles one to support, updates, documentation, etc.";
ransomware, "software distributed free of charge, but unusable without
documentation that costs at least $70"; safeware, "a computer
insurance company"; and wetware, "the human brain, possibly the whole
nervous system." (Thanks to Andy Anderson, David French, Harry Harm,
Ken Hill, Gillian ...
[End extracted text]

Garson


On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 12:59 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "ransomeware", not in OED3; GBooks 2005--
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 11/5/2013 11:29 AM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>>Confused -- is it "ransomware", "ransomeware" or both?
>
> ! I never noticed I had used both.  But Google does show both (much
> more frequently without the "e").
>
> Joel
>
>
>>DanG
>>
>>
>>On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 11:23 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>>
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > -----------------------
>> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> > Subject:      "ransomeware", not in OED3; GBooks 2005--
>> >
>> >
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Should be findable earlier than 2005, since Wikipedia says the first
>> > such program was 1989.
>> >
>> > A  term I had not heard before, until my local computer products
>> > store sent me an email warning which included as part of its advice
>> > about "prevention" to "Stay safe with an updated, lightweight and
>> > trusted ANTI-VIRUS".  (A come-on for ransome-ransomeware?  To be
>> > fair, they did not hype that, and offered additional no-cost advice
>> > for both prevention and cure.)
>> >
>> > For discussion, see the Wikipedia article.  Under "History", that
>> > article claims that "The first known ransomware was the 1989
>> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_%28trojan_horse%29>"AIDS" trojan
>> > (also known as "PC Cyborg") written by Joseph Popp", but the usually
>> > useless Google Book search using dates gives me nothing earlier than
>> > 2005 -- http://tinyurl.com/k5ff2wb or
>> >
>> >
>> http://issue-fix.com/windows/ransomware-removal.php?sq={QueryString}&mt=b&kw=%2Bransom%20%2Bware&ad=69&src=ggl
>> > That page's definition is curiously worded:  "Ransomware is
>> > ransomware that locks your computer by hampering its interface,
>> > blocking other programs or encrypting files (a process that makes the
>> > files unusable until they are decrypted). During this lockdown, the
>> > ransomware will issue an alert, often in the form of a pop up, that
>> > forces you to pay a fee to remove the lockdown."  [Perhaps the second
>> > "ransomeware" is simply a typo for "software".]
>> >
>> > Not in OED3.
>> >
>> > Joel
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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