Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!riacs!pioneer.arc.nasa.gov!samlb
From: samlb@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCS)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin
Subject: Re: Different uses of the 5th field of the passwd file.
Keywords: GCOS
Message-ID: <1990Nov6.045108.20266@riacs.edu>
Date: 6 Nov 90 04:51:08 GMT
References: <723@dynasys.UUCP>
Sender: news@riacs.edu (James A. Woods)
Reply-To: samlb@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCS)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Mtn Vw CA 94035
Lines: 12


	As far as I know, every UNIX implemetation handles the so-called
GCOS field differently -- the Ultrix 'finger' command uses the info there
to produce display one way, Suns do it another, and SGI machines yet a
third.  There is really no "standard" meaning for the contents of this
field -- it is just "sorta used for names".


Sam'l Bassett, Sterling Software @ NASA Ames Research Center, 
Moffett Field CA 94035 Work: (415) 604-4792;  Home: (415) 969-2644
samlb@well.sf.ca.us                     samlb@ames.arc.nasa.gov 
<Disclaimer> := 'Sterling doesn't _have_ opinions -- much less NASA!'