A Matter of Pride by: Ron Collins Short Story Published in Analog (Magazine ) -- April, 2000, Stanley Schmidt , ED. Reprinted in sciencefiction.pl (Webzine ) -- September, 2000, Arkadius Nakoniecznik , ED. On Writing "A Matter of Pride"      Hey, it's a fun little piece.      This one started with the initial scene and proceeded to write itself. It was an easy one because I was making fun of myself through most of it and because the corporate environment is a soft mark. The character of the boss, you see, is how I see myself sometimes. I should also mention that I wrote the piece before I moved from software development into the IT/Web development arena. So, yeah, Bob could have been me (except I never sold appliances to the Army ... not that they wouldn't have bought them... [grin]).   Excerpt:      "I'm screwed, man. Totally screwed."      "Virus still kicking your butt?" replied Kevin Johnson from the cubicle across the hall.      He nodded. "I'm dead meat."      "Sometimes you get the code, sometimes the code gets you."      Chris had been in the office late last night, using company resources to partake in his favorite personal pastime: crashing other computers, frying security codes, and piddling around with new ideas on encryption techniques--activities most decidedly against the rules.      Now he was paying the price. © Ron Collins

Buy this Short Story at Fictionwise REVIEWED BY: Review by Chris Markwyn Tangent Online "A Matter of Pride" by Ron Collins is a hacker story. The main character, Chris, is a programmer for a household appliance company, and a peculiar virus has infected his computer. It seems to be relatively harmless, but it talks back and insults him constantly. To defeat the virus, Chris enlists the help of fellow programmer Gail Francis. I thought the real nature of the virus was an original twist, though the setting was a bit too Dilbertesque for my taste. ... [an] entertaining piece.