Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!seismo!mcnc!gatech!gitpyr!thomps
From: thomps@gitpyr.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: minix - is this a sensible thought ?
Message-ID: <3047@gitpyr.gatech.EDU>
Date: Fri, 6-Feb-87 21:59:26 EST
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.3047
Posted: Fri Feb  6 21:59:26 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Feb-87 05:00:39 EST
References: <1717@hoptoad.uucp> <552@atari.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 19
Summary: unshar programs are available

> The problem I see with Shar is the absurdly-simple Trojan Horse
> loophole it opens up.  When you turn your machine over to somebody
> else's command script, AT YOUR OWN COMMAND PROMPT, you're just asking
> for trouble.  A special "unshar" script, which only lets the shar run
> certain commands and put files in certain directories, would be an
> appropriate patch to this.

I believe that there are unshar programs floating around. Perhaps we
can find one and standardize on it. Using tar would be a serious
mistake. The bandwidth of the net is not infinite and backbone sites
must pay the bills for shuffling all the extra junk around. A move
to use tar would likely be nixed by news administrators at backbone sites
refusing to carry the large traffic I expect to be produced by this 
group.
-- 
Ken Thompson  Phone : (404) 894-7089
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!thomps