allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) (10/23/86)
Quoted from <1060@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> ["Re: Use of ``vi'' for business office word-processing"], by mangler@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (System Mangler)... +--------------- | In article <810@aimmi.UUCP>, gilbert@aimmi.UUCP (Gilbert Cockton) writes: | > I'd be curious to see how many people see computer file space as personal | > space into which no-one should intrude, regardless of access permissions. | | The policy on our student machine is: | "Do not read other people's files without explicit permission." | | where "explicit" means "they specifically told you that you could look". +--------------- I see a computer file system as no different from a regular file cabinet which has a potential for access by "ordinary people". If a file isn't marked as private, or a file drawer is locked (equivalent: file system access permission denies access to the user/group/account/etc.), people shouldn't look. But if a file (file folder) isn't protected or marked as private, there's no reason for someone NOT to look at it. This is true for a file cabinet OR a file system. Caveat filer. My personal practice is that I lock files I don't want people snooping in or around, and leave files readable by others if I want them to look. I also have a directory ".transfer" in my home directory which is writeable by all, so a user can send me files. (I have csh aliases "lock" and "unlock", plus a program to examine files in a particular directory -- a shell script "scan" which uses the "file" command to figure out whether a file is ASCII, binary, a subdirectory, etc. and uses the appropriate command to look at it (more, strings, resursive "scan", etc.).) However, the other view is permissible by this as well: the customer file cabinet at TDI is unlocked, but I have no business snooping in it. This is a matter of policy (office file policy/computer file policy). In the end, it comes down to a management decision. My file policy on ncoast is consistent with ncoast's policy as a public-access system; at TDI, it is necessarily different and more in step with TDI office policy. ++Brandon -- ---------------- /--/ Brandon S. Allbery UUCP: decvax!cwruecmp! / / /|\/ Tridelta Industries, Inc. ncoast!tdi2!brandon ---- -------- /-++ 7350 Corporate Blvd. PHONE: +1 216 974 9210 / / /---, ---- Mentor, Ohio 44060 SYSOP: UNaXcess/ncoast / / / / / / -- HOME -- (216) 781-6201 24 hrs. / / / / / / 6615 Center St. Apt. A1-105 ARPA: ncoast!allbery% ---- -----~ ---- Mentor, Ohio 44060-4101 case.CSNET@relay.cs.net