Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ORION.CF.UCI.EDU!eaiu268 From: eaiu268@ORION.CF.UCI.EDU (David O'Rourke) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk Subject: Re: Appleshare query about sharing executables Message-ID: Date: 21 Mar 88 23:11:50 GMT References: <1043@uni2.bcm.tmc.edu> Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 35 >> -- Copy-protection settings for applications: lets the network >> administrator set applications programs run from the server so that >> they cannot be copied by network users. > > Does anyone know if such a feature (a.k.a. being able to execute but not click - > drag-copy applications on a server) is either possible with or coming soon > with TOPS? > > Kevin Brook Long > Baylor College of Medicine > 1 Baylor Plaza > Houston, TX 77030 > (713) 799-6116 > Internet: klong@bcm.tmc.edu or klong@rice.edu > AppleLink: U0651 Yes this feature in availible in TOPS, but not because TOPS supports it. There is a flag the Finder checks called the Protect bit before allowing a user to drag, duplicate, or otherwise move a file. This flag has been in the Mac's OS since the 128K days, but **ONLY THE FINDER** pays any attention to it. Since TOPS volumes are mounted in the Finder, any files that have this flay set will not be copied by the Finder. But that doesn't prevent the User from copying the file using a finder substitute, or writing some code them selves to copy the files. File copy code it rather simple and doesn't require extensive Macintosh experience. There is currently no compatible method for doing UNIX style execute only flags. Yes if all you use is the finder this is a crude substitute. But nearly anyone with any sort of copy program can bypass this flag, or even re-set it themselves, so that the finder can copy the file. Or the person doing the tampering could just copy it directly from the file editor that they use to change the flag. David M. O'Rourke