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From: mangler@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (System Mangler)
Newsgroups: net.text,net.unix
Subject: Re: Use of ``vi'' for business office word-processing
Message-ID: <1060@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: Mon, 20-Oct-86 01:41:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: cit-vax.1060
Posted: Mon Oct 20 01:41:52 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Oct-86 22:22:04 EDT
References: <1246@kitty.UUCP> <141@rayssd.UUCP> <2433@phri.UUCP> <2046@saber.UUCP> <810@aimmi.UUCP>
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 19
Xref: watmath net.text:1449 net.unix:9634
Summary: anti-browsing policy

In article <810@aimmi.UUCP>, gilbert@aimmi.UUCP (Gilbert Cockton) writes:
> I'd be curious to see how many people see computer file space as personal
> space into which no-one should intrude, regardless of access permissions.

The policy on our student machine is:
    "Do not read other people's files without explicit permission."

where "explicit" means "they specifically told you that you could look".
Don't want those students learning too much, do we?

I think the purpose of the policy was to "protect" the people who
didn't know how to chmod files, primarily TOPS-20 users, i.e. all
the faculty and staff.	Despite the effective demise of TOPS-20,
the policy refuses to go away.	Everyone violates it; the faculty
sponser likes the rule because it ensures that he always has grounds
for kicking off anyone who he thinks is misbehaving.

Don Speck   speck@vlsi.caltech.edu  {seismo,rutgers}!cit-vax!speck
(The views I express are not necessarily those of Caltech CS).