Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucbcad!pasteur!ucbvax!WYOCDC1.BITNET!ZSYJKAA
From: ZSYJKAA@WYOCDC1.BITNET (Jim Kirkpatrick 307 766-5303)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: PHONE command
Message-ID: <880114112838.00000542.EAQI.83@WYOCDC1>
Date: 14 Jan 88 17:28:38 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 35

I'd like to initiate a brief exchange of ideas on the pros and cons of
the PHONE command on VMS.  Some people around here feel that the PHONE
command should be taken out because it eats up resources (but so does the
backspace key; in other words, how much "resource" could PHONE possibly
eat up?); because users tend to use it to simply chat and gossip (I can't
prove this because we just now became a VMS site, and this argument comes
from somebody who worked at a VMS site that had this "problem"; I think
that even chatting is fine, it improves keyboard skills); because if a
person receives a PHONE call, he feels compelled to answer, which is an
interruption (I feel the same way about telephones though); also, since
we don't have any VT-type terminals, PHONE is kind of useless anyway.

My own feelings are that, if it's really such a problem, we could include
SET BROADCAST=NOPHONE in the system login.com, and if a user WANTS to be
able to receive calls, he can change it manually or in his login.com.
The removal of PHONE simply because it CAN be misused and/or is a nuisance
is not reason enough to do it; this is removal of things that make VMS
VMS.  It is also analogous to us being moral police, shutting down access
to anything that might be improperly used (so can the FTN compiler).

One objection to SET BROADCAST=NOPHONE is that it tells the caller that
the target is in fact logged on, but has "unplugged" his phone, which has
all sorts of perceived negative connotations.  If one could cause NOPHONE
to claim the target is not logged on, and if one could "hide" from being
seen as being logged on (except to sysmgr of course), then you could ensure
a nice quiet "do not disturb" environment if wanted.  To use the telephone
system as an analogy, if I unplug my phone, a caller cannot tell if I've
done that or if I'm simply not in my office.

This all brings to mind an item a while back about system managers who
"helpfully" run around changing system-wide defaults to suit his personal
tastes.  That writer stated that VMS should be left alone except to provide
something a user cannot get in any other way.  I agree.

I'd like to hear what goes on with this issue at other academic sites.
How many of you love PHONE?  Hate it?   Shut it down?