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From: nather@ut-sally.UUCP (Ed Nather)
Newsgroups: net.rumor,net.news.adm
Subject: Re: Bring back net.bizarre!
Message-ID: <4697@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Apr-86 10:11:06 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.4697
Posted: Mon Apr 14 10:11:06 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Apr-86 04:14:43 EST
References: <703@frog.UUCP> <12400018@uiucdcs> <2410@jhunix.UUCP> <132@fai.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 24
Xref: watmath net.rumor:1877 net.news.adm:591

In article <132@fai.UUCP>, ronc@fai.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian) writes:
> How do the rest of you system administrators feel?  Is it within your
> rights to open other people's mail?

I think the last word above should be E-mail, and I think it matters.  We use
the term "mail" and derive from that word a lot of connotations, some of which
may be incorrect.  I would be very angry if you opened a sealed envelope 
I mailed to a friend and read the contents, because our past tradiations and
laws say that is illegal.  E-mail is a different proposition, and we should
use a different word to describe it -- at least then we'll recognize there *is*
a difference and not count on connotation carry-over.

I am not a system administrator but have, in the past, had root priviledges.
In my opinion the system administrator does not *own* the system, any more than
an appointed or elected official owns the system he/she administers, but power
corrupts and a system administrator has a lot of power.  I assume in time we
will evolve a code of ethics for this new situation, and I hope it will follow
the pattern of our past: "Thou shalt not read other people's E-mail, either."

-- 
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU