Hi Mike,

>>This individual's life, as they perhaps thought they'd live it is entirely over at this point. I certainly would not want to trade a lifetime of being a public pariah and potentially having judgements exceeding 1 billion dollars for, what, one day's thrill of having that elusive sand called power. It so quickly runs through the hands, eh? *s*
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>Sorry, but I think this is an overstatement.

Well, I'm comfortable you feel this way. What I said may indeed be an overstatement but I don't think so. There are a LOT of angry people who will want to make this person pay for what they've done. A LOT of money has been spent/diverted to respond to this situation, including several here who have indicated days of lost productivity. That get expensive very quickly.

>If you look at the actual intentions of the "virus", it was probably just to hide a friends MP3 library, then pass it on to some other friends.

Hmm.. I've never known software to have intentions. <g> People perhaps but not software, animals or plants either. Besides, if you run a stop light, even though you didn't intend to you still get the ticket. Well, if there's a policeman there anyways and he's not your cousin... <g>

Besides, if this was so innocent why does he make everything automatic rather than giving people a choice? I'm thinking that you may be confusing your intentions with this individual's perhaps.

I am curious about something though. By what reasoning did you arrive at the notion of these intentions? I'd really be interested in this because if I'm missing something here I'd like to know how to arrive at the correct conclusion. Do you know the individual who wrote it or do you have some sort of knowledge no one else does or do you just "feel" this? I really am curious here and would very much like to correct my thinking if I'm in error.

>Like John said, the only thing that made this bigger than it should have been is earth's population's obsession with unproductive emailing, ironic?

Oh, come on now... If this is the angle you want to take you really should have stated something about "people's obsessions with actually using their address books," or something to that affect. Sure, from that presuppostion you're right - We're all obsessed with being able to send email to our colleagues, professional and personal both. <g> I'm sorry... I'll stop actually using my software. *bg*

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>>The death penaly in this case would be the easy way..
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>Hmmm, did this come from a "Klingon Hacker's" top 10 list too?

*rof'l*

Nahh.. Comes from learning about life and human nature. In the case of whomever did this deed having to live the rest of their life with everyone, everywhere who was affected monetarily by this incident wanting to get some relief for their damages, yeah, I'd say that their life is about finished -- at least in the computer world. Once his/her name is "out there" people will not forget soon.

Let me ask you a question... Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to support, say 100 people when every computer has been infected by a virus? I have and it is no fun whatsoever. My guess is that you'd start to sound like a Klingon too. *bg* And, I'd bet that if you asked anyone else around here who has just gone through this you'd find me starting to sound like a timid individual indeed.

Regardless, I understand what you're saying. I just will not make excuses for behavior like this.

Best,

DD (Ka'Plah)