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From: josh@hi.uucp (Josh Siegel)
Newsgroups: news.misc,news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: System administration views (was re: Foothead etc.)
Message-ID: <5199@hi.uucp>
Date: Mon, 27-Apr-87 23:43:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: hi.5199
Posted: Mon Apr 27 23:43:30 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Apr-87 05:36:35 EDT
References: <1128@cartan.Berkeley.EDU> <1065@epimass.UUCP>
Reply-To: josh@hi.UUCP (Josh Siegel)
Organization: U. of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 80
Xref: mnetor news.misc:332 news.sysadmin:172

In article <8761@clyde.ATT.COM> rcj@moss.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) writes:
< [...]
>on most of our (meaning the collective net) machines there are these
>things called hackers.  Hackers like to figure out how things work and
>how to circumvent them.  Once the puzzle is solved, though, 90% of them
>get bored and go on to the next puzzle.  
> [...]

How do you feel about the hacker turned systems adm?  We have
several rules here (local group within UNM (not UNM)) concerning hacking.
The rules are:

	1) Don't do something that would be considered bad under
	   any context.

		This comes down to telling them not to go into
		profs directories and copy homework out.  Don't
		do anything that we would find in bad taste.

	2) Don't be distructive

		"You break it... you fix it!"

	3) Tell us about it

		If you find something new... I'll take ya to lunch.


The rules have worked well for the most part.  All of the
systems people in our group have started our lives out as
hackers and were hired.  Most of us have strange
things called ethics and morals which seem to set us
apart from "wargame" hackers.

What am I trying to say?  
	Don't lump hackers together.

I try to stay ahead of the game by trying to break the system even
while I control the system.  I have toys that make people break
out in a sweat when demonstrated.  This april fools,  I showed a
group of people how to break into every machine at UNM.  On the
other hand, this work has helped keep many, many machines secure from
others and has made it MUCH easier to catch them when they
are young and still learning.

Personally,  I find the whole thing funny but sorta offensive.  Its
not very funny to get ones reputation messed up.  Sorta ruins it for
us all I guess....

>
>>   One other note. I would also not hesitate to give pooh, you, or the
>>other person access to my system if access to the net was needed. I
>>would, however, require only that nothing such as the faked articles be
>>done and would guarantee that your files were secure from me as well as
>>from the other users. I also must guarantee that if those types of actions
>>were traced to my system. I would certainly be looking for the origin
>>with whatever means at my disposal.
>
>By all means.  You'd be surprised how many sysadmins really don't give
>a damn.

Or how many sysadmins have given up.

>
>>   Hopefully, you will not view this as a flame - it certainly is not
>>meant to be.
>
>Same here; I just have a different view of system administration.

Same here

>
>The MAD Programmer -- 201-386-4295 (Cornet 232)
>alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd allegra ]!moss!rcj
>			...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua watmath  ]!clyde!rcj

-- 
Josh Siegel		(siegel@hc.dspo.gov)
                        (505) 277-2497  (Home)
		I'm a mathematician, not a programmer!