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From: ed@mtxinu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: File System Kudzu
Message-ID: <328@mtxinu.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 17:43:20 EST
Article-I.D.: mtxinu.328
Posted: Mon Mar 30 17:43:20 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 03:45:41 EST
References: <4888@brl-adm.ARPA> <14909@sun.uucp> <708@mcgill-vision.UUCP> <15794@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould)
Organization: mt Xinu, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 36

>> Given just the getpw* functions, there's no way to change the passwd
>> database, which is clearly necessary for any real system.
>
>Yes.  But is it necessary to provide a *portable* way to write
>applications to change it?

Yes, it is.

>> 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.
>
>You may be able to do it; you may just have to write different code
>to do it on different systems.  There is a tradeoff here; by
>specifying more characteristics of the POSIX interface, you increase
>the number of applications that can be written to the POSIX
>interface, and thus the number of portable applications - but you
>also *de*crease the number of possible implementations of the POSIX
>interface.  Is it worth reducing the number of possible POSIX
>interface implementations by, say, 10% in order to increase the
>number of portable applications by .1%?

I don't see how specifying a procedural interface to the password file
(which I expect would do the job) that is complete - i.e. includes routines
for writing the file as well as reading it - limits the number of
implementations.  It does make them somewhat more complex, but it
also makes them more robust.

What's wrong with putpwent(), and others like it?

-- 
Ed Gould                    mt Xinu, 2560 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA  94710  USA
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed   +1 415 644 0146

"A man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality."