Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen From: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: OS/2 is dead? (actually multiple logins) Keywords: OS/2, multi-user, networked Message-ID: <3092@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> Date: 2 Jan 91 19:08:21 GMT References: <28775@usc> <14887@ogicse.ogi.edu> <5074@trantor.harris-atd.com> <1990Dec13.170613.19556@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <4103@syma.sussex.ac.uk> Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen) Organization: GE Corp R&D Center, Schenectady NY Lines: 42 gould@pilot.njin.net (Brian Jay Gould) writes: > Date: 13 Dec 90 20:26:01 GMT > Organization: NJ InterCampus Network, New Brunswick, N.J. > > I can't understand why someone would want multi-user support on their desktop > workstation. Security is one reason. Not only the security of having a login password required, but the security of being able to have several logins, all for myself, which represent various things I'm doing on that computer, each protected from the other to an extent *I* determine. For someone who never makes a mistake, this feature is useless. If you always keep every file in the correct subdirectory, never delete the wrong file, etc, then multiuser support will only get in your way. If you are a normal human being you may appreciate having some serious protection from yourself, and an ownership attribute attacted to the file, not determined by the file or directory name. So on most of my "single user" machines I am: root for backups and major stuff uumaint for configuring uucp stuff news for configuring news local owns /usr/local/bin and source bill for general stuff testit for testing new software and then extra logins for any large projects which might need to be handled separately from my general work. And it is comforting to test new software in a separate login, knowing that stupidity and malice will both effect only the test id (unless it uses a gaping hole in the system). The ability to have the o/s keep things separate is a highly useful feature, and just multitasking is not enough. Unless the filesystem and processes are protected against bad behavior, there is always the possibility of a small problem turning into a disaster. -- bill davidsen (davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM -or- uunet!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen) VMS is a text-only adventure game. If you win you can use unix.