Re: Viruses on Lists

Hi Medit-Plant'ers,  As I wrote to Tom earlier it is nice to see goodies 
such as illustrated and captioned messages right with the text, but 
certainly not necessary  --and decidedly not worth it if folks ~do feel a 
sense of danger. Blocking these is a fine option if it is desired. Some 
lists feel a genuine need to have the these features, especially 
HTML.  Personally on garden lists I don't have strong feelings one way or 
the other, although I do like to see all options at least considered from 
time to time. However plain text --with any pictures placed on a webpage 
--can meet my needs just fine.

Size limit is popular in several systems because it is simple to enact and 
as you (Tom) say so many of these bugs are coming in in such varying forms. 
I know of no documented virus or worm that is less than 200 lines. If 
anyone does know of one (even a rare one) I know a lot of listowners who 
would like to have the specific reference. It is a volatile world we live 
in computerwise.  If Tom or anyone is by chance actively using Listproc as 
a listowner, you might like to contact Sean and help him to configure the 
list to block attachments and HTML messages, ~if that is desired. With most 
packages blocking is simply a matter of using additional keywords or 
filters.   HTML and attachments blocks alone don't necessarily get them all 
either, so I don't want to lead anyone down the garden path. <wry grin>.

I guess that I plug for personal responsibility and safe computing because 
they are the last line of defense and help to attack the general problem on 
all fronts.  Sort of like getting folks immunized :-) There are no 
guarantees anyway are there?  We all do the best that we can and no one 
ever intentionally passes on a virus. I don't want to see the discussion 
stray away from plants too much more, but we all stand to learn from these 
occasional forays off-topic.

Again, if ANY of you are actively using Listproc or otherwise have some 
computer background and can spare him any time I am sure that Sean would be 
grateful for some help in general. In fact anyone with a faithful half-hour 
a day and some computer knowledge could quickly learn enough to help Sean 
out with some of the list duties. It isn't rocket science ::wink:: Ideally 
a list should have active co-owners working as equals each with full 
authority who can work in shifts.  Being able to get away "from the office" 
and having both full authority and support to do so goes a ~million miles 
towards preventing Listowner burnout.  We all treasure Sean and he deserves 
to be able to spend time away from this in his gardens and having a life.

The bread and butter of systems such as Egroups/Topica/Listbot etc. is the 
marketing data and trends that they can glean.  Messages come with ad 
banners attached and their marketing is sometimes an "in your face" kind of 
style with obnoxious animation and stuff.  It is sort of like the 
difference between commercial TV and the Public Broadcasting System.  My 
own opinion but ~unless there are no other options I prefer to have no 
unrelated "shotgun" ads spammed along for the ride with the messages.

But revenue from the ads is not as valuable as the goldmine of information 
the hundreds of thousands of lists that have sprung up like mushrooms after 
a fall rain continually produce. 'Bot thingies such as Egroups claim not to 
divulge any information connected with individuals directly but rather they 
claim only to use it in the aggregate.  Who knows if the next company that 
buys them out will continue to honor "privacy".  Read the fine print and 
decide how well your copyrights and ownerships are protected.  If any list 
matters, get a legal opinion on that fine print, especially if the content 
is sensitive or valuable.

If we want to keep the character of Medit-Plants --of which I am especially 
fond --Sean can definitely use some faithful help!

Back to plants!  Tree frogs are still active here and new fronds are 
unfurling in spite of a light frost last night.  Cyclamen are still 
blooming but have also put out their lovely new leaves. Seedlings from seed 
labeled as 'Bowles Apollo' are splendid whether they are or aren't the 
genuine article.  From seed-growing I am learning that wannabes are 
sometimes especially nice.  Some of the accidents are the most 
fun.  Dryopteris filix-femina 'Frizelliae' has self-spored some really zany 
forms with the little pleated fans on the pinnae, but with the addition of 
amusing forks and branches.  Likely they would be a no-no in the world of 
serious collectors, but I love the sport of them and hope that they will 
stick around. Salvias and fuchsias continue to bloom.  Big border 
penstemons are making their last stand and zauschnerias are smothered with 
delightfully bright orange firecrackers. Ophiopogon arabicus is thick with 
handsome black berries.

Warmest wishes and happy gardening,  Louise
Corvallis, ORegon



At 05:17 AM 10/23/00 -0400, Tom wrote:

Since many computer users aren't too savvy. distributing attachments can
be very dangerous. Also, viruses/worms hidden in HTML formatted messages
can sneak below message size limits. For our tropical hibiscus mail list,
both attachments and HTML messages are blocked for safety reasons.

Tom Miller
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If you like tropical plants like hibiscus, please see:
<http://www.trop-hibiscus.com>
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"Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need
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