fix for login

[Vernon Schryver]

In article <1991Mar4.230639.22196 at riacs.edu>, samlb at pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCS) writes:
> In article <88634 at sgi.sgi.com> vjs at rhyolite.wpd.sgi.com (Vernon Schryver) writes:
> >It is one thing to bend the rules for security fixes in a new sendmail, or
> >to blink at them with a sendmail that does MX, since all Internet email is
> >supposed to be to or from "academic and research institutions" and so a
> >fixed sendmail at commercial site helps the academics.  A similar rational
> >seems unlikely for fixing /bin/login at commercial sites.
> 
> 	Absolute fnortilated bull-bleep!
> 
> 	What we are asking you to do is to put a copy of a bug fix in
> your anonymous ftp directory, so that research and government sites (like
> mine) that take such things seriously can get the fix in advance of the
> distribution of "cypress", aka IRIX 4.0 which is vaporously reputed to
> be happening Real Soon Now.
> 
> 	I don't see how this can be construed as "commercial use of the
> Internet" -- no money is changing hands for services.


What?  SGI sent you an IRIS on which to run /bin/login for nothing?
It must have been an extra for the zillions of other IRIS's purchased
over there.

Consider the entirely reasonable reaction to Silicon Graphics competators
who do not have an Internet link.  They would quiet reasonably be unhappy
at seeing our distribution of fixes subsidized by their tax dollars.  They
would be less than thrilled to know that you are more likely to buy an IRIS
than one of their boxes because Silicon Graphics is able to use their tax
dollars to help us distribute fixes.

As I wrote, we could offer fixes to people at NASA, McGill and other
academic or government institutions.  The trouble is doing it only for
you.

Please re-read the portion I quoted of the permission given the other
vendor.  The NFSNET fair use restrictions are not our choosing.  If you
don't like them, please write congress.

Please note that the /bin/login fix does not close any security holes.


Vernon Schryver,  vjs at sgi.com