Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usenet
From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn)
Subject: Re: can you initialize the HD from the workspace manager disk option (help)
Message-ID: <6jcl8wm@rpi.edu>
Nntp-Posting-Host: eclipse.its.rpi.edu
References: <1991Jun24.005935.18747@ni.umd.edu>
Date: 24 Jun 91 16:52:36 GMT
Lines: 52

In article <1991Jun24.005935.18747@ni.umd.edu> 
           louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes:
> cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu writes:
> >Hope you had your data backed up. And I'm sure we all really hope 
> >NeXT changes this "feature" in some future version of the OS.
> 
> Oh, come now.  
> 
> If you log in as root to do routine tasks, you are playing with a
> loaded gun.  Presumably we should remove the 'rm' command because
> someone might inadvertantly delete /sdmach, that big file that takes
> up all that space?

The problem is that ordinary novice users *have* to log into root to install  
some packages.  We must abandon the idea that the only people who are logging  
into root are unix gurus who know everything they are doing and want to fly  
without any nets.

The problem is that it is all too easy to initialize the hard disk using the  
Disk menu option, and there is NO good reason for it to be so easy.  In  
reality, under what circumstances would a person want to completely wipe out  
the one and only hard disk that they have on the system?  Do you do this every  
day?  Would it really hamper your lifestyle if there were some more protections  
around this particular operation?

> Let's not build a system that's so "safe" you can't get your work
> done.  If you lock up all of the power tools, who's going to use them?

I agree we can go too far the other way by trying to make things too safe.  On  
the other hand it's very reasonable to put up some firewalls based on the  
seriousness of making a mistake.  My own preference is that

   1) the Disk menu have a separate menu item for initializing 
      the hard (or optical) disk.  This won't slow down anyone
      who has a burning desire to wipe out their hard disk, but
      might save a few people from the anguish of doing it by
      mistake.
   2) You have to provide the root password before using the
      erase-hard-disk option.  This will slow down legitimate
      users only a tiny bit, but if you put up the right dialog
      it should pretty much insure that no one will zap their
      hard disk by mistake.

Given those two changes, we'd greatly reduce the danger without really slowing  
down anyone who legimately wants to zap their hard disk.  Note that these are  
changes to the nice NextStep interface only, it isn't a change to the wild and  
woolly let-the-typer-beware world of Unix.

 -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA