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From: radford@calgary.UUCP (Radford Neal)
Newsgroups: net.micro.68k,net.arch
Subject: Re: SUID Patent
Message-ID: <404@vaxb.calgary.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 28-Sep-86 21:13:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: vaxb.404
Posted: Sun Sep 28 21:13:09 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Oct-86 19:35:04 EDT
References: <508@elmgate.UUCP> <64@mit-prep.ARPA> <15665@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <4794@ukma.uky.csnet>
Organization: U. of Calgary, Calgary, Ab.
Lines: 20
Keywords: (SUID Patent)
Xref: watmath net.micro.68k:1897 net.arch:4011
Summary: Kronos had similar stuff too.

In article <4794@ukma.uky.csnet>, david@ukma.uky.csnet (David Herron, NPR Lover) writes:

> hmmmm... I guess the patent office didn't know about JACCT on TOPS-10.
> 
> The first time I hears of the SUID I thought "what a nifty general
> way to do JACCT"...

The Kronos operating system for the CDC 6000 also had things similar to
the SUID bit. An system command could have various special "entry points"
that gave them special priviledges even when run by ordinary users. I
first used this system in 1974, but I think it had the feature for many
years before then.

As far as I can see, the only innovation in UNIX SUID stuff is that the
priviledges inherited can be those of any user, not just some "super user",
as determined by file ownership. Personally, I don't this this ought to be 
enough to justify a patent.

    Radford Neal
    The University of Calgary