Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uupsi!grebyn!ckp
From: ckp@grebyn.com (Checkpoint Technologies)
Subject: Re: Amiga OS *IS* state of the art
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.051303.4703@grebyn.com>
Organization: Grebyn Timesharing
References: <7827@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <1991Mar27.062345.6622@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au> <7840@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1991 05:13:03 GMT

In article <7840@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> barrett@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dan Barrett) writes:
>	I would
>still argue that, for an OS to be "state of the art" (as was claimed by the
>original poster), it has to have some concept of file ownership; a multiple
>user model in which a user "owns" a file.

I think that the reality of file ownership on a Personal Computer is
determined by who can put their finger on it.  Try this:  put your
finger on a floppy disk, or on your hard disk drive.  You own all
that data.  If you can touch it, it's yours.  Never mind what the OS may
try to prevent you from doing with it.

This goes with my other philosophy, about granting user account
privileges on any computer system.  The user that can reach the power
switch has all the privileges, and you'd better get used to that.

>	If my friend sits down at my Amiga and works for a while, I want
>reassurance that he cannot accidently delete my files, NO MATTER WHAT.
>This is what I mean by "multi-user capabilities" -- that several people can
>use the same Amiga (not necessarily at the same time) and nobody has to
>worry about corrupting another person's data.

No "personal computer" can guarantee this.  When your friend sits down to
your Amiga, he can reach the power switch; see what I said about "user
account privileges" above. :-)

Now, I can imagine that this Amiga might be part of a network
(imagining, of course, that the current state of Amiga networking
improves) where there are multiple users on a network, and the network
allows file sharing between network peers.  In this case, it
is vital that your Amiga only grant access to those files you
specifically want to export.  They are your files, after all.  And you
may even want to decide which other user is granted access.  So now
"file access rights" begins to have meaning, but ownership is *not* in
question.  They're your files if they're on your disk.
-- 
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                                                ckp@grebyn.com      \\ / /    
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