Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b
Subject: Re: patch to prevent userid censorship via expire(8)
Message-ID: <2263@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Aug-87 08:53:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2263
Posted: Thu Aug 27 08:53:39 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Aug-87 09:19:02 EDT
References: <1680@ho95e.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 26
Keywords: censorship silencing
Xref: mnetor news.admin:924 news.software.b:786

In article <1680@ho95e.ATT.COM> wcs@ho95e.ATT.COM (Bill.Stewart) writes:
> In <12916@amdahl.amdahl.com>, Gordon Moffett writes:
> : In response to the objections of the use of the -f flag of expire(8),
> : here is a trivial patch that will disable the -f flag and report such
> : to the user.
> : I've always looked upon this flag with horror, and now I see realized
> : my objections to having it in the first place: censorship.
> 
> The purpose of the -f flag is not to censor real people such as Mr. Nobody
> or Rich Rosen; it's mainly to censor berserk notesfile gateways and similar
> programs, which occasionally break and dump 85 Megabytes worth of old
> articles, all of which appear to be from notesfiles@somewherevax.
> It's worth keeping for that reason, on spite of the risk of abuse.

Furthermore, if anybody thinks I'm going to run expire after every news
processing cycle just to get rid of the emanations of one of these silly
net.blabbermouths, they're plumb loco.  Much simpler just to put a little
fix in inews, assuming one really feels such action is required.

BTW, I have installed no such patch, though truly I have been tempted by
several persons from time to time...

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by mooans ,
i