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Article: PC viruses began as a prank 25 years ago
- Article from:
- Daily Breeze
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Daily Breeze. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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By Anick Jesdanun
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - What began as a ninth-grade prank, a way to trick
already-suspicious friends who had fallen for his earlier practical
jokes, has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to
let loose a personal computer virus.
Although over the next 25 years, Skrenta started the online news
business Topix, helped launch a collaborative Web directory now owned
by Time Warner Inc.'s Netscape and wrote countless other computer
programs, he is still remembered most for unleashing the "Elk Cloner"
virus on the world.
"It was some dumb little practical joke," says Skrenta, now 40. "I
guess if you had to pick between being known for this and not ...