VDAT Release 2.000.0 ==================== The time has arrived. Contrary to what I stated in my last editorial this will be the last PUBLIC release of VDAT. After a little more than 4 years with 10 releases for DOS and 11 for Windows/HTML I have decided to quit releasing VDAT to the general public. I will not go into a lot of detail on the "Why?" but I have always stated I would quit when it would stop being fun. Events and incidents during the last year have drastically decreased the fun I was having creating this product. The virus scene is a mess and the small measure of maturity and common decency that existed in it has all but evaporated. There are of course always exceptions and I hope these exceptions will continue to be worthwhile. The recent explosion of the number of virus traders has certainly muddied the waters of virus collecting. The number of websites offering virus trading has almost quadrupled in the last couple of months and it seems that this growth will continue for a while. It has not done the core goal of virus collecting much good. A lot of junk is being traded and personalities, morals and values have clashed. It is one of the reasons I have decided to lay low for a while, I have had enough of the bickering and name calling. When I started collecting viruses ratios were used just like now, but ultimately when push came to shove much more was shared than now. People were often inclined to help the new guy on the block, now it almost seems virus trading is like the stock market: a matter of plusses and minuses. I will still update the VDAT product for my own purposes and it will remain available to most of the insiders of the scene. The update cycle will no longer be 3 months but it will be determined by the available spare time, it might be more but also less than 3 months. The only way for the general user to obtain an unrestricted copy of VDAT is to get me something from my wanted list (check the VDAT page or this release of VDAT). As of January 11th 2000 my website supporting VDAT will cease to exist and my e-mail account will be closed. My new e-mail address will be cicatrix@worldmail.nl or vdat@crosswinds.net. Distribution of future releases will be on a case by case basis. The VDAT home page will move and can be found using the http://vdat.cjb.net URL redirector SOR (StartOfRant): ================== I just want to say something about this millennium hype/hoax that is happening as I release this edition of VDAT. The transition from 1999 to 2000 might be nice "round number" occasion to have extra celebrations but as far as I am concerned the next millennium does not start until January 1st 2001. Assuming there was no year 0 (zero) the year 1 was the first year of the 1st century and the 1st millennium. Consequently the year 1001 was the 1st year of the 2nd millennium and the year 2001 will be the 1st year of the 3rd millennium. Also the correct term for the 2-digit versus 4-digit date annotation problem in computers should be the Year 2000 bug (or Y2k) and NOT the Millennium bug (or even worse Millennium virus) as some people call it. So celebrate all you want but don't call the year 2000 the 21st century or the next millennium, those won't start for another year. And BTW, January 1st 2000 is just another day of the week: I'll still get out of bed the same way, I'll still have to walk the dog and my pay won't change. So what is all the fuss about? More material to convince the non believers: http://psyche.usno.navy.mil/millennium/whenls.html http://members.tripod.com/~PHILKON/millennium.html For those wondering about the version number of this release: the similarity with the year of release and my statement above is just coincidental :-), future releases will be numbered using the Y.EAR.# format. Consequently the next release will be 2.000.1 and the first release of next year will be 2.001.0 etc. etc. As you notice I do use 0 (zero). EOR (EndOfRant) Cicatrix January 2000 Acknowledgements: ================= For more information about the past, present and future of VDAT please read my "Editorial" linked on VDAT's main page. I'd like to thank those that have contributed and still contribute to my collection and those that have provided information for use in VDAT. In alphabetical order: - 1nternal - Anti-State Tortoise - Aurodreph - Bayros - Billy BelcebŁ - Bozo - Chili - Cryotek - Dark Fiber - Dark Killer - Dark Knight - Darkman - Darkside - D.G. (Italy) - Dirty Nazi - Duke (SMF) - Evil Avatar - Evul - Executioner - Foxz - Glitch - God@rky - Gothmog - Griyo - Horny Toad - Icebreaker - Jack T. Ripper - jackie twoflower - Jerk1N - JHB - Knight Of Virus - Knowdeth - Kronos - Landing Camel - LovinGod - Lord Arz - Lord Julius - Lord Natas - Lucifer Messiah - Methyl - MGL - Mister Sandman - Neophyte - Nightmare Joker - Nucleii - Omega - Opic - Poltergeist - Putoksa Kawayan - Pyro - Owl - Q The Misanthrope - Recoder - RedArc - Reptile - Rhape79 - Sepultura - Shadow Seeker - Silver Surfer AKA ... - Slagehammer - Spanska - Spooky - Stealth Warrior - Stormbringer - Tally - Talon - Techno Phunk - The Unforgiven - Ultras - Vecna - VEiN - VicodinES - Virogen - Virtual Daemon - VirusBuster - WaveFunc - Zhuge Jin and quite a few I'm sure don't want to be mentioned by name or handle ;-) (you know who you are!) or some that I forgot (my apologies).