In article <nef-0712941750460001 at moose.bioc.cam.ac.uk>, nef at mole.bio.cam.ac.uk (Nick Fisher) says:
>>>The so-called "Good Times" e-mail virus is a HOAX. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a
>text file to infect your computer. Only executable files can carry
>"active" virus code.
Yes and No. There was I recall some years ago a 'text' file which if sent
to the 'stdout' device of a PC using the DOS command TYPE, would cause some
sort of havoc. This was because the file really had escape sequences which
were sent to the display driver (i.e., if you looked at the file using a
text editor it would look like rubbish). Granted, this is not really what
you are referring to, and in any event is not really a virus as it cannot
self-replicate.
John McClean
