Re: computer virus

Achaz von Hardenberg (achaz@hermes.usherb.ca)
Wed, 3 Nov 1999 11:12:07 -0500

Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 11:12:07 -0500
Message-Id: <199911031612.LAA27984@hermes.usherb.ca>
From: Achaz von Hardenberg <achaz@hermes.usherb.ca>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: computer virus

> I read somewhere once that computer viruses
> are incapable of producing advantageous mutations on their own. Is this
> correct? If so, why not? Anyone have a reference?

> Ray Recchia

Computer viruses are incapable of producing any mutation on their own, unless
they are programmed to do so (but I am not aware of any computer virus which
does something like this). Computer viruses, which are computer programs, make
exact copies of themselves (clones), and there is virtually no error rate in
this process.

Achaz von Hardenberg

Departement de Biologie
Universite' de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke, PQ J1K 2R1, Canada

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