The medium and the message (was: on viruses)

[zouhair maalej]

Dear Celso, Robin, and other List members:
I cannot but agree with Celso and Robin that attachments are a serious
threat to our machines and work. I myself have received two infected files
from the List through attachments (so far!). Sometimes, even a powerful
anti-virus software is not enough in the face of this crazy proliferation of
destruction through launching viruses to the world. It is well known that
attachments are fertile grounds for worms, and talking about them is not
spamming (Lahcen was joking in his reply to Celso). Attachements are more
safely handled when they come from people you know. What do List members and
Owners think of banning attachments as part of the List's policy?

Best
**********************
Dr Zouhair Maalej,
Department of English, Chair,
Faculty of Letters,
University of Manouba,
Tunis-Manouba, 2010, Tunis, Tunisia.
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Office phone: (+216) 71 600 700  Ext. 174
Office Fax: (+216) 71 600 910
Home Telefax: (+216) 71 362 871
Mobile: (+216) 98 585 551
E-mail: zmaalej at gnet.tn
URL: http//: simsim.rug.ac.be/ZMaalej
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-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Shoaps <shoaps at UMAIL.UCSB.EDU>
To: DISCOURS at listserv.linguistlist.org <DISCOURS at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2002 10:38 PM
Subject: Re: The medium and the message (was: on viruses)


>Hi everyone,
>
>I agree with Celso that the Discourse list needs to consider the danger of
the
>medium to be used inadvertently in the spreading of worms and viruses.
Almost
>every message I receive from the list is an attachment, usually just a
short
>thing like an introduction. I had begun to think that this was some sort of
>official policy.
>
>Is there a reason why people have to send short messages as attachments?
Our
>department has had a rash of viruses and now as a matter of principle I
don't
>open attachments from people I don't know--sadly that includes almost the
>entire discourse list. Perhaps attachments could be limited to areas where
they
>make more sense--like sending articles or other materials that we request
from
>each other.
>
>Sorry if this is what some of you consider spam.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Robin Shoaps
>
>Department of Linguistics
>University of California, Santa Barbara
>Santa Barbara, CA 93106
>U.S.A.
>
>shoaps at umail.ucsb.edu
>