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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!rochester!ritcv!cci632!ccicpg!harald
From: harald@ccicpg.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The Next Generation
Message-ID: <5537@ccicpg.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Nov-87 06:13:26 EST
Article-I.D.: ccicpg.5537
Posted: Thu Nov 19 06:13:26 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 14:49:15 EST
References: <5294@ccicpg.UUCP> <2803@cbmvax.UUCP> <516@mcdsun.UUCP>
Organization: CCI CPD, Irvine CA
Lines: 72

In article <516@mcdsun.UUCP>, fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes:
> In article <2803@cbmvax.UUCP> daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie) writes:
> >in article <5294@ccicpg.UUCP>, harald@ccicpg.UUCP ( Harald Milne) says:
> >> 	Although the Amiga is multitasking, and not multiuser, this is
> >> an advantage. There is no reason to support the multiuser feature of UNIX
> >> on the Amiga, simply since it isn't. (After all, it is MY machine)
> >> I call it multitasking without the excess baggage!
> >
> >I'm REAL GLAD someone mentioned this too.  Every time someone starts to talk
> >about how neat it would be to run multiuser stuff on their Personal Computers,
> >  [stuff deleted...fnf]
> >Multiuser is the same kind of thing.  If you can't use all the power of your
> >Personal Computer yourself, get a cheaper PC.
> 
> Well, in general I agree with the premise that a personal computer should
> be allocated to a single individual, but this really doesn't mean that
> having multiuser capabilities isn't useful.  Very often you want to use
> the multiuser protection features to protect you from yourself, to set
> up alternate environments for doing different sorts of things, etc. 

	I have yet to this day ever had a need to do this. Could you elaborate
as to why you would do this with UNIX?

	Ok, you guessed my previous responsibilities. Yes, system administrator
for a bunch of UNIX neophytes. 

	Under NFS, you can mount filesystems to different USER ID's and the
proper user protections apply.

	As a previous administrator, I know a bit about system security.

	As for protecting me from myself, that's not possible. I have 
instantaneous acces to root priviledges without su'ing or knowing the root
password. Don't ask me how, it's just that BIG security hole in UNIX! You
just have to be root once! 8^) Not hard on a multiuser system! Anyway that's
not the point. The point is delete privileges.

> For example, even though I have a Sun-3 all to myself at work, I still have
> several different logins that I use depending upon what I want to work on
> at the time.  Each provides a slightly different environment and different
> permissions for what can and can't be done with the system. 

	Covered under NFS. And even more elegantly!

> Running a multitasking system without multiuser capabilities is equivalent
> to running as root all the time on a Unix system, something that VERY few
> experienced Unix people would do.

	That's not true. Just use the rarely used "deletable" file protection
and you can rm * to your hearts content, it won't happen. Again we are into
notions of users, and there is NO protection of DELETION in UNIX from yourself
Not to mention root privileges.

	If this isn't enough, I've run the shell tied to the AUX: port with
special filtering, it's like multiple terminals I have at work, they just
don't window! It's kinda of multiuser (that is you can use 2 terminals 
at the same time) meaning I can type on 2 consoles at the same time. 8^)

> Thus just because the computer has multiuser capabilities doesn't mean
> that you have to have more than one user active at a time.

	Again, under NFS it's no problem. Mutiple rlogins. I don't need
a SUN to do that!

> -Fred
> -- 
> # Fred Fish    hao!noao!mcdsun!fnf    (602) 438-3614
> # Motorola Computer Division, 2900 S. Diablo Way, Tempe, Az 85282  USA
-- 
Work: Computer Consoles Inc. (CCI), Advanced Development Group (ADG)
      Irvine, CA (RISCy business! Home of the CCI POWER 6/32)
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