What is a Virus? (Google: "define Virus")
Definitions of a virus (see below) are imprecise;
not good enough to be useful for this project.
It will be necessary to create a new definition, in which the structure of matter, the chemistry of the bonds by which it is formed, the electromagnetic forces at play, and the integration of information of the virus in/and the context all come together.
Definitions of virus on the Web:
- (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein
- a harmful or corrupting agency; "bigotry is a virus that must not be allowed to spread"; "the virus of jealousy is latent in everyone"
- a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer; "a true virus cannot spread to another computer without human assistance"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - A virus is a small particle that infects cells in biological organisms. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites; they can reproduce only by invading and taking over other cells as they lack the cellular machinery for self reproduction. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus - In the English language, the normal plural of virus is viruses. This form of the plural is correct, and used most frequently, both when referring to a biological virus and when referring to a computer virus. The forms viri and virii are also used as a plural, although less frequently. There is disagreement among users of the Internet over whether these forms should be considered correct. No reputable printed dictionary includes them as correct forms.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_(plural) - Virus is a KMFDM single preceding the album Naïve. It features the title track "Virus" as well as "More & Faster" off of More & Faster, "Don't Blow Your Top" off of Don't Blow Your Top and "High & Geil" an alternate version of "More & Faster".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_(single) - In computer security technology, a virus is a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents (for a complete definition: see below). Thus, a computer virus behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. Extending the analogy, the insertion of the virus into a program is termed infection, and the infected file (or executable code that is not part of a file) is called a host. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_(computer) - A noncellular biological entity that can reproduce only within a host cell. Viruses consist of nucleic acid covered by protein; some animal viruses are also surrounded by membrane. Inside the infected cell, the virus uses the synthetic capability of the host to produce progeny virus.
fightaidsathome.scripps.edu/glossary.html - Self-replicating, malicious code that attaches itself to an application program or other executable system component and leaves no obvious signs of its presence.
www.tecrime.com/0gloss.htm - A tiny organism that multiples within cells and causes disease such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis and hepatitis. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, the drugs used to kill bacteria.
www.nbc.com/nbc/Medical_Investigation/medical_terms/ - A virus is a program written to cause mischief or damage to a computer system. A mild virus might only be a slight nuisance, or even amusing. However, most viruses do damage, whether to your files, your registry, or even your hardware. Viruses are hard to detect, easy to propagate, and difficult to remove. Your computer can pick up a virus when you copy a seemingly normal file from a diskette or download it from the Internet.
www.ontrack.com/glossary/ - A type of infectious agent, much smaller than common microorganisms, several forms of which affect certain kinds of orchids.
www.orchids.com/support/supportGlossary.html - A program that can infect other programs by modifying them to possibly include an evolved copy of itself.
www.imms.com/cyberglos/ - A virus is a malicious program whose sole intent is to cause problems on a computer. There are Anti-Virus programs, such as McAfee and Norton Utilities, created to combat viruses. Virus Hoax Occasionally, rumors are started about viruses that do not exist. These are merely hoaxes.
www.objectivism.addr.com/glossary.htm - Description: Microorganism without a cell wall, able to reproduce only by inserting itself into a host cell and hijacking the reproduction mechanism for its own ends. (The virus is then said to infest the cell.). Source: Specialized encyclopedia and dictionaries Description: An infectious agent composed of a single type of nucleic acid, DNA or RNA, enclosed in a coat of protein. Viruses can multiply only within living cells. Source: Specialized encyclopedia and dictionaries
europa.eu.int/comm/research/biosociety/library/glossarylist_en.cfm - (1) A minute organism not visible by light microscopy. A virus is an obligate parasite dependent on nutrients inside cells for its metabolic and reproductive needs. It consists of a strand of either deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid, but not both, [inside] a protein covering called a capsid.1
www.mwdh2o.com/mwdh2o/pages/yourwater/glossary/glossary01.html - A virus is a piece of programming code usually disguised as something else that causes some unexpected and usually undesirable event. A virus is often designed so that it is automatically spread to other computer users. Viruses can be transmitted as attachments to an e-mail note, as downloads, or be present on a diskette or CD. It is important to have updated antivirus software so that the newest viruses and worms will be detected and halted.
faculty.tui.edu/it/pages/tech_comps/Glossary.htm - A microorganism that can infect cells and cause disease.
www.stjude.org/glossary - Microscopic organisms that cause infectious disease. In cancer therapy, some viruses may be made into vaccines that help the body build an immune response to and kill tumor cells.
nydailynews.healthology.com/nydailynews/15836.htm - A chunk of computer programming code that makes copies of itself without any concious human intervention. Some viruses do more than simply replicate themselves, they might display messages, install other software or files, delete software of files, etc.
www.unitedyellowpages.com/internet/terminology.html - A infective agent with a specific structure and able to cause its own multiplication after infection of specific cell
bse.airtime.co.uk/defb.htm - Any group of submicroscopic pathogens which multiply only in connection with living cells.
www.weblife.org/humanure/glossary.html - The smallest form of microorganisms capable of causing disease. Especially, a virus of fecal origin that is infectious to humans by waterborne transmission.
www.nsc.org/ehc/glossar2.htm - A program that cause damage either by deleting or corrupting files, or by interfering with computer operations by reproducing itself to fill up disk or RAM space. Originally the term applied only to the reproducing kind but it has come to mean any deliberately harmful software.
www.mumbaicyber.com/glossary_terms_temiote_scope_networl.asp - any of a large group of very tiny infectious agents that are too small to be seen with the ordinary light microscope but can often be seen with the electron microscope, that are considered either very simple microorganisms or very complicated molecules, that have an outside coat of protein around a core of RNA or DNA, that can grow and multiply only in living cells, and that cause important diseases in human beings, lower animals, and plants.
whyfiles.larc.nasa.gov/text/kids/Problem_Board/problems/biosphere/glossary.html - A submicroscopic pathogen composed essentially of a core of DNA or RNA enclosed by a protein coat, able to replicate only within a living cell.
www.bioethics.gov/reports/stemcell/glossary.html - a virus is a (usually malicious) computer program that can travel surreptitiously from computer to computer.
www.visiontm.com/Spy/Glossary.htm - an infectious agent of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in the living cells of animals, plants or bacteria. In the strictest sense, viruses should not be considered organisms, because they are not free-living: they cannot reproduce and carry on metabolic processes without a host cell.
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/B/bodystory/glossary.html - An unwanted, disruptive, and sometimes destructive program that places itself into other programs which are shared among computer systems, and replicates itself. Some viruses are designed to automatically spread to other computer users and can be transmitted as e-mail attachments, downloads, or be present on a diskette or CD.
www.mnta.org/publications/publications_industry_glossary.html - a very small agent (germ) that causes infection
www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/hep/patientguide/glossary.html - A virus is a piece of programming code inserted into other programming to cause some unexpected and, for the victim, usually undesirable event. Viruses can be transmitted by downloading programming from other sites or be present on a diskette. The source of the file you're downloading or of a diskette you've received is often unaware of the virus. The virus lies dormant until circumstances cause its code to be executed by the computer.
flytrapinteractive.com/~personal/Eti/wbt/web/glossary.cfm - a tiny organism that invades and grows in cells and thereby alters their function. Viruses cause a variety of infectious diseases and may also induce some types of cancer.
www.cancercare.mb.ca/MCCSP/mccsp_glossary_e.shtml
Computervirus
- A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.