Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!samsung!know!pluto.hemel.bull.co.uk!ewoods From: ewoods@hemel.bull.co.uk (Eoin Woods) Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals Subject: Re: Password and gecos Message-ID: <1990Dec13.134824.8451@hemel.bull.co.uk> Date: 13 Dec 90 13:48:24 GMT References: <1990Dec12.143334.13768@IRO.UMontreal.CA> Sender: @hemel.bull.co.uk Organization: Bull HN UK Lines: 39 Nntp-Posting-Host: brno quennevi@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Charles Quenneville) writes: . . Deleted stuff (sorry I didn't really understand what you wanted). . >Plus, could anyone tell me how to extract the fields in the >/etc/passwd file? Either by using the structure in the pwd.h file >or simply by using for's and while's. #include <- | struct passwd *getpwuid(int uid) ; | Sys V (BSD has a similar OR | if not identical system) struct passwd *getpwname(char *username) ; <- >A last question: Could you tell me what gecos means? GECOS stands for General Electric Computer Operating System -- An operating system that is now the property of Groupe Bull (and shipped on our proprietry mainframe kit). The reason that the text field in the password file is called the GECOS field is that in 'original' Unix (running on 'research' at Bell Labs), it was used to store authorisation and accounting information for use when submitting batch jobs to the local GECOS mainframe. (Even in those days, Bull was integrating open and proprietry systems! :-) Eoin. -- (This is not an official statement from Groupe Bull but is all my own work!) -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Eoin Woods, Software Development Group, Bull HN Information Systems, ~ ~ Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 7DZ ~ ~ Tel : +44 442 232222 x4823 ~ ~ Fax : +44 442 234084 ~ ~ < Eoin.Woods@hemel.bull.co.uk > ~ ~ < When do we start news group comp.os.emacs ? :-) > ~