This can be placed under many different categories, so it's best to just out it here.
This is the description of a new kind of application I am working on. I can't actually say that it's new, because I have encountered applications before that does similar things, but they have only been called "malware" which I think is wrong. And most of the applications I have encountered like this, were not built in the same purpose, which makes them something else then lifeware. And to just take one of them and put "lifeware" on it, well that's up to the creator I guess, you can't really cheat, you just have to feel for yourself "is this a lifeware?" ^^
I'm still working on this text, but since some of you wanted me to keep you posted on the progress of my project, this is a part of that, and the goal is to create a clean example of a life ware, with some basic code that follows the principles and in a good way shows how a lifeware typically could look and function.
Lifeware
Intro
It is important to know, that lifeware is not the same as malware, although most people will see it as that. It will not serve the regular user any real purpose and sometimes be in the way. And most of the time, you will have to understand the source code, get a description, or analyze it in some way, to really appreciate its existence. A good way to describe lifeware, is to simply say that it mimics a life form, the life form doesn't have to exist and can be made up just for the purpose of creating the lifeware. How the lifeware works is up to the programmer creating it, and how creative this individual is. You might say that some applications , malware in particular, are in a way, lifeware, although they were not created for that particular purpose. The idea is to see the system, not as “a system”, but as a universe in which you can form the world as you please (Anyone connecting this to religion should seek help). The lifeware can be harmless, and feed solely on bytes from the spam in your mail, or it can be aggressive, and draw all your files back to its lair and devour them. It's all about the imagination of the programmer.
Below are the three principles of lifeware.
They are more “guidelines” that describe the very basics of lifeware.
The Purpose
The purpose of the application is not to earn money exploiting the user of the system, to annoy the user, or to hijack the system, nor is it its purpose to be a part of a large network of applications and attack another system. The purpose of the application is simply to exist and stay alive in some way, and how this is done and how it works, is decided by the programmer.
The Rules
The rules are defined by the programmer and can be seen as the “life forms instincts and boundaries”, it can be just about anything, from having a special flavor in files, to killing a sister application on sight. The operating system is the world, your playground, you make the rules which the lifeware has to follow, even if it means the end of the system.
The Attributes
The attributes of the lifeware is what shapes it, in a sense. When discovering the attributes it all comes down to asking yourself a couple of questions, these questions have to be thought up by the programmer. Does the lifeware have an attribute that defines health, or hunger? Does it have some other specific attributes that can be used by sister applications to identify it or act upon it in another way specific to the lifeware? Combined with the rules, the attributes become very important for the lifeware, and can make the difference between a regular malware that destroys your files, or a lifeware that takes the files and 'feeds' of their bytes.
Lifeware
Lifeware
"The best place to hide a tree, is in a forest"
Glad you like it!Lundis wrote:I totally love the idea... When I have the skills to create proper lifeware I'll surely make some cool ones!
I've already got some ideas...
Trying to convince some people at the University that it's a fun idea, but they are business driven people, and want profit out of their work ^^ So far I have only been able to get a professor on my side.
"The best place to hide a tree, is in a forest"
Well - it can't just have life just to exist, for life to be useful - it has to have a purpose. Malware does have a purpose - to spam, to harass or disrupt a network, to spread marketing and control information back to HQ.
The initial idea when you presented it included a Antivirus and antimalware tool - the lifeware protected the computer or network by heuristic ability or feedback from a Mother Server, to tell it what is bad and what is good. It sounded like another AVP - but your lifeware - self propagation meant that it would seek out unprotected computers and networks and protect them regardless of human interaction.
It was like creating a 'digital community' of good and bad 'bots' or code vs code. - You write code to replicate, to seek and cure - and release it out to the wild to combat malware.
The biggest issue is this - you intend for lifeware to be autonomous - and system administrators are not going to like the idea of any software invading their network to make changes on it. Some networks have legacy hardware or applications - they cannot be patched, and the lifeware could disrupt a network by bringing it upto date.
Lifeware, it can be limited to user control or specific networks or computers. It would be interesting to see software reconise that its system is weak and improve on it - for example. The lifeware can see that the computer or system does not have a firewall or AVP, so it gets it.
I know it seems like "already invented" but I would keep pounding on the ideas until you shape it..
DNR
Again, to define lifeware from malware or spyware, it needs a purpose.How the lifeware works is up to the programmer creating it, and how creative this individual is.
The initial idea when you presented it included a Antivirus and antimalware tool - the lifeware protected the computer or network by heuristic ability or feedback from a Mother Server, to tell it what is bad and what is good. It sounded like another AVP - but your lifeware - self propagation meant that it would seek out unprotected computers and networks and protect them regardless of human interaction.
It was like creating a 'digital community' of good and bad 'bots' or code vs code. - You write code to replicate, to seek and cure - and release it out to the wild to combat malware.
The biggest issue is this - you intend for lifeware to be autonomous - and system administrators are not going to like the idea of any software invading their network to make changes on it. Some networks have legacy hardware or applications - they cannot be patched, and the lifeware could disrupt a network by bringing it upto date.
Lifeware, it can be limited to user control or specific networks or computers. It would be interesting to see software reconise that its system is weak and improve on it - for example. The lifeware can see that the computer or system does not have a firewall or AVP, so it gets it.
I know it seems like "already invented" but I would keep pounding on the ideas until you shape it..
DNR
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He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in Darkness, and Light dwells with him.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in Darkness, and Light dwells with him.
DNR, you are mistaking lifeware for another idea that I worked on a while ago ^^
lifeware has the same question that we ask ourselves sometimes, what is the purpose of our existence? Again, lifeware is not to be mistaken for malware in any way, it has no connections to malware what so ever. The name was simply catchy.
But yeah, I'll rewrite the description =)
lifeware has the same question that we ask ourselves sometimes, what is the purpose of our existence? Again, lifeware is not to be mistaken for malware in any way, it has no connections to malware what so ever. The name was simply catchy.
But yeah, I'll rewrite the description =)
"The best place to hide a tree, is in a forest"