Daniel White collects viruses. But not simply destructive ones: in the era of DOS particularly, a virus could be a work of art made by someone who wanted to show off coding prowess, not sheer brute force. Some viruses rearranged the letters like a game of Tetris; others showed intricate animations like lava or a snowfall. Wired profiles White and his years of work as a hobbyist virus curator — with plenty of GIFs and historical context.
DOS viruses are beautiful
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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