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From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: File System Kudzu
Message-ID: <708@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Mar-87 00:21:52 EST
Article-I.D.: mcgill-v.708
Posted: Wed Mar 25 00:21:52 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Mar-87 16:08:41 EST
References: <4888@brl-adm.ARPA> <14909@sun.uucp>
Organization: McGill University, Montreal
Lines: 30

In article <14909@sun.uucp>, guy%gorodish@Sun.COM (Guy Harris) writes:
>> I would like the POSIX committee (or somebody equivalent) to address
>> this issue [re /etc/passwd]

> I would like the POSIX committee to stay the heck away from this
> issue, as it's not its business to say where various files live.
> [...]
> (E.g., there IS no "/etc/passwd" in POSIX; there are "getpwent",
> "getwpuid", and "getpwnam" functions, which is as it should be.  It
> is not the business of any standard to say anything whatsoever about
> a file named "/etc/passwd" or any file like it.)

I agree with you in principle, Guy, but in this case I disagree, since
there is no putpwent() or analogous function.  If you completely hide
the internal structure you then must provide an interface with full
functionality.  Given just the getpw* functions, there's no way to
change the passwd database, which is clearly necessary for any real
system.

Don't just say that providing chsh, passwd, and chfn programs (or
equivalents) is enough; it isn't.  We wanted a chsh/chfn/passwd suite
of programs with functionality somewhat different from the provided
versions.  It is unacceptable to be unable to do this sort of thing.

					der Mouse

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