A Conversation for The Difference Between a Bug and a Virus
Computer Virii
Squeaker Started conversation Aug 6, 2001
Just as a matter of trivial interest, the term "Bug" is applicable to software discrepancies because in the early days of computing, a maintenance technician was doing a routine check of a piece of computer hardware. He (or quite probably, she, as computer programming was thought of a clerical duty in those sexist wartime days, not worthy of a man's attention!) found a large moth between the contacts of an electrical relay. This caused the computer to short-out each time the relay was called into service. From that time onwards, the moth has been immortalised in the phrase "Computer bug". As a sideline fact, the moth was nicknamed "Barry" by it's saviour technician. (or so goes the story).
This story stems back to the days of the Edsac and Eniac computers of the 1950's.
Squeak.
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Computer Virii
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