drewcomputer t1_iy0c644 wrote
Reply to comment by topcat5 in TIL The worlds first computer virus was developed by Jon Von Neumann in 1949. It served as proof that computer programs are capable of replicating themselves by s24569
Not sure you understand how computer science works. Von Neumann didn’t postulate the existence of self-replicating programs, he proved their existence by making one. The fact that it wasn’t running on the computers of the time doesn’t change that algorithmic result.
It also says in the article linked,
> Von Neumann's design for a self-reproducing computer program is considered the world's first computer virus, and he is considered to be the theoretical "father" of computer virology.
And the source is a CS textbook on viruses.
Sorry to be harsh but your attempt at correcting OP is a Dunning-Kruger thing IMO.
[deleted] t1_iy0xswa wrote
[deleted]
drewcomputer t1_iy13pi1 wrote
You can absolutey write a program or algorithm without running it on a computer. Turing published Turing machines long before they ran on silicon, and Ada Lovelace wrote software for a computer that wasn’t built in her lifetime. The first virus implemented in Assembly directly cited and built out Von Neumann’s work.
hux t1_iy1gzp1 wrote
I would argue that unless you can sit at a terminal and wonder why your program does not work, then make a trivial and meaningless change which causes it to work but should not, then you haven’t really written software.
A1_B t1_iy1q9wc wrote
> I understand exactly how viruses work. I was responsible for delivering anti-virus definitions to 100s of 1000s computers in a very large network. In fact, I'm an author of a patent for software delivery.
Wow, appeal to authority, very smart.
Too bad you're objectively wrong, and those credentials are kind of pathetic.
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