INTERNET WARNING: virus or hoax

[Baker, Mike]

>On Wed, 6 Nov 1996, dennis grace <amazing at mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
...
> >The latest hoax or a really bad virus?  I thought i'd pass this on
> >since I wasn't sure. ...
> >> DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY FILE NAMED PKZIP300 REGARDLESS OF
> >> EXTENSION !!!
> I strongly thank the originators and those passing it along for the
> dose of skepticism.  Many warnings passed along nowadays are urban
> legends.  (E.g., the "Good Times virus" warning uses nonsensical terms
> and simply couldn't function like that.)

The "Good Times virus" warning message is (IMO) in and of itself the virus: 
I suspect that this was the intent of the originator(s). Check the verbiage 
next time you happen across the original...

> It's good to take such warnings with a grain of salt pending verification. 

> (You certainly may, for prudence's sake, follow them just in case, but 
it's
> best to keep an open mind for new evidence.)

Positively so!

> I recall reading that PKZIP300 is indeed a bad program that destroys
> disk contents.  Unfortunately, I have no citations.

Would you settle for PKware's own statements? From memory, and I paraphrase, 
PKware will *never* release a version of PKZip numbered 3.00 (or any 
distribution file named PKZIP300) precisely because of the viral problems 
with the hacked version that appeared. This information I have received from 
at least three different sources, including FidoNet sysop conferences and at 
least one website.

Now, I understand that faulty biological memory is often the source of Urban 
Legend. Therefore I would not expect anyone to take only my word on this, or 
indeed on most other matters of fact (my opinions are my own, 
yadda-yadda-yadda).

With a mighty heave & following the general thoughtstream: to try and tie 
this back to the appropriate field of interest for these several mail-lists, 
can anyone point me toward sources dealing with rumors-gone-wild between 
600ce and 1600ce? I've seen several references over the years concerning the 
suppression of heretical movements and non-majority religions being fueled 
by lies & deliberate misunderstanding.

Were there any non-religious rumors that had anything near a similar level 
of impact during "period"?

Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra
     currently residing in Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mike C. Baker                      mbaker at rapp.com
Any opinions expressed are obviously my own unless explicitly stated 
otherwise!