Xref: utzoo alt.sources:838 alt.sources.d:8
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!sequoia!rpp386!jfh
From: jfh@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US (John F. Haugh II)
Newsgroups: alt.sources,alt.sources.d
Subject: Re: euser - display the effective user name, SysV-ish
Message-ID: <16770@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 8 Jul 89 05:49:46 GMT
References: <14448@bfmny0.UUCP>
Reply-To: jfh@rpp386.cactus.org (John F. Haugh II)
Followup-To: alt.sources.d
Organization: I am NOT the NRA
Lines: 22

In article <14448@bfmny0.UUCP> tneff@bfmny0.UUCP (Tom Neff) writes:
>If you need a FAST way to generate the name of your current effective
>user (including the effects of su(1) etc), this works.  It's not fancy.
>Obviously it has to read /etc/passwd.  Feel free to hack and pass
>around.

>X	while (fgets(line, sizeof(line), pass) != NULL)

This is not a very good idea.  You make assumptions about the
password file which probably won't be holding true for too many
more releases of UNIX.

getpwuid() is going to be your best bet.  It should be hoped
that your local software vendor took the time to implement
getpwuid() in an efficient manner; such as using YP or ndbm or
whatever services are available.  In a distributed environment
the password file may not even reside on your machine completely.
-- 
John F. Haugh II                        +-Quote of the month club: ------------
VoiceNet: (512) 832-8832   Data: -8835  | "Computer security is to information
InterNet: jfh@rpp386.cactus.org         |  control as a chastity belt is to
UucpNet : <backbone>!bigtex!rpp386!jfh  +- birth control"    -- Doug Steves  --