Xref: utzoo comp.bugs.4bsd:870 comp.bugs.misc:162 comp.bugs.sys5:495
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ncar!noao!nud!df
From: df@nud.UUCP (Dale Farnsworth)
Newsgroups: comp.bugs.4bsd,comp.bugs.misc,comp.bugs.sys5
Subject: Re: Hard Links between UNIX Utility Programs
Message-ID: <1190@nud.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jul 88 15:14:53 GMT
References: <184@chip.UUCP>
Reply-To: df@nud.UUCP (Dale Farnsworth)
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Az.
Lines: 17

M. D. Parker (mparker@chip.UUCP) writes:
> I have noticed the tendency for some programs in UNIX to have hard links.
> The program operation is then determined by the name it was invoked by.
> 
> I'd like to request that in future releases, this short-cut be eliminated.

Argv[0] is just like any other argument to a unix program.  If a program
shouldn't change its behavior based on argv[0], it shouldn't change its
behavior on argv[1], argv[2], ....

Programs that provide more features than are absolutely necessary
for the job at hand are necessarily less secure than a program without
the additional features.  Security comes at a price.

-Dale

-- 
Dale Farnsworth		602-438-3092	noao!nud!df