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From: guido@mcvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: MAJOR BUG (Mark Horton's reply)
Message-ID: <5784@mcvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Apr-84 10:08:39 EST
Article-I.D.: mcvax.5784
Posted: Fri Apr 20 10:08:39 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Apr-84 08:52:49 EST
References: <137@utecfa.UUCP> <1277@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: "Stamp Out BASIC" Committee, CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 26

It was very honorable of Mark Horton to admit his "guilt"; but I'm not
convinced by His reply.

>Why do you assume this is a bug?  It was put in as a feature [...].

At most I'd call it a quick hack, especially given the bad quality of the
code (pointed out by another unix-wizard) and the absence of documentation.

>EMACS has a similar feature.

No it hasn't.  There is no way to specify IN THE FILE you are editing
that certain Emacs commands must be performed.  You specify this in the
set-up file by binding commands to certain filenames.  (At least that's
the situation in Gosling's Emacs.)  This way it is only you who decides
what's be done (if you trust Emacs itself).

>[...] you seem to have found a security problem.

I can't believe you didn't think of that when you invented it.

Enough flaming; the gentleman who proposed to have a flag "modeline"
which turns the feature on (default off) has my warm approval.

--
	Guido van Rossum, "Stamp Out BASIC" Committee, CWI, Amsterdam
	guido @ mcvax