Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!seismo!vrdxhq!BMS-AT!stuart
From: stuart@BMS-AT.UUCP (Stuart D. Gathman)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: Looking through other users' (unprotected) files
Message-ID: <254@BMS-AT.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Oct-86 22:17:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: BMS-AT.254
Posted: Fri Oct 24 22:17:52 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Oct-86 07:21:31 EDT
References: <1246@kitty.UUCP> <141@rayssd.UUCP> <2433@phri.UUCP> <2046@saber.UUCP> <1501@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Business Management Systems, Inc., Fairfax, VA
Lines: 27
Summary: All in the family

In article <1501@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>, mwm@eris.berkeley.edu (Mike (Don't have strength to leave) Meyer) writes:

> In article <2849@rsch.WISC.EDU> mcvoy@rsch.WISC.EDU (Lawrence W. McVoy) writes:

> >	If you insist on a real world analogy, try this:  it's as if
> >someone said, "Here, use my house.  There are other people that I let
> >use my house, so here are some keys.  Use them to lock up your stuff.
> >If you don't, anyone else can play with your stuff, just as you may
> >play with anything you find."  See the difference?  It's not *your*
> >house, it's everyones' house.

> Would you rent an apartment under those conditions? I damned well
> wouldn't. Would you get upset if you left your door unlocked while you
> left for a short time, and came back and found your neighbors
> rummaging around in your apartment? How about your landlord?

The answer to the above questions depends on whether we are talking
about strangers or family.  In a family or community setting we have
the situation described by Mr McVoy as typical of a *nix environment.
The assumption is that all users are friendly (non-hostile).  This is
not a good assumption for a public time sharing service.  It is hopefully
a good assumption for a company computer. 

In a formal setting such as landlord and tenant, we are much more 
private and not so trusting.  This is the better approach for public systems.
-- 
Stuart D. Gathman	<..!seismo!{vrdxhq|dgis}!BMS-AT!stuart>