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From: spe@cad.cs.cmu.edu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: sex.1
Message-ID: <1063@cad.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Sat, 21-Mar-87 20:52:00 EST
Article-I.D.: cad.1063
Posted: Sat Mar 21 20:52:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Mar-87 22:17:00 EST
Reply-To: spe@cad.cs.cmu.edu (Sean Engelson)
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 47

Keywords:


Neville Newman writes:
% The fact of the matter is that by encouraging distribution of this
% (EMACS) code to the entire net-connected world, you are in a position
% of respon- sibility.  i doubt that you would ever intentionally put a
% trojan horse program in an EMACS dist that uses the CRT scan to blind
% a user, or shut down cooling circuits if the code found itself in use
% at a reactor installation.  The same kind of damage is inflicted on
% individuals and society by that type of irresponsibility as with the
% distribution of this "humor".  i would applaud your decision to take
% out the -r option, but it doesn't even begin to deal with the problem.

Sir,

While it is evidently undeniable that you are offended by the material
in question, it is also quite evident that there are others, not quite
as puritan as you, who are able to take this material humourously.  I
believe that there is no clause in the GNU-Emacs copyright that
prevents system administrators from deleting this file, if their users
so desire.  Dr. Stallman has merely provided a file which is humourous
to some; those who are offended need not keep it around.  If you wish,
I will write you a script which deletes it immediately upon
installation.

I find the comparison to a ``Trojan Horse'' program to be quite
inappropriate, for these same reasons.  A ``Trojan Horse'', by its
very nature is undetectable and irrevocably damaging.  Now, unless you
maintain that you are physically unable to keep from looking at the
file, and that such looking will turn you into a stark, raving maniac,
I would say that your analogy is ludicrous, at best.

The only `problem' here is with people who wish to impose their
opinions of propriety and `offense' upon others.  I reiterate:  noone
forces you to look at this; noone forces system administrators to keep
it around.

-- 
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I have no opinions.  Therefore my employer is mine.
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Sean Philip Engelson			+---------------+
Carnegie-Mellon University		| POST NO BILLS |
Computer Science Department		+---------------+
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