[news.sysadmin] Just how old and tired is your software?

david@indetech.UUCP (David Kuder) (05/22/89)

In the recent discussions going on here (and in plenty in the past)
the assertion that 99% of the net is running old or strangely
incompatible news software is made.  It is generally accompanied by
the assertions that the administrators at those sites don't care and
there is nothing that we will ever be able to do about it.  However,
I've never seen any solid data to back this claim up.  My own
experience with sites that I'm familiar with (I set one end of the
feed) were all running at least B 2.11.14 if not .17 or beta TMNN.

So does anyone have good data one how many sites are running which
version of the net news software?  Is it time to have Brian Reid run
yet another survey?  Do I dare to send out a "version" control
message?  Would the results be meaningful given strangely incompatible
news software?

waters@dover.sps.mot.com (Strawberry Jammer) (05/22/89)

In article <2831@emerald.indetech.uucp> david@indetech.UUCP () writes:

>So does anyone have good data one how many sites are running which
>version of the net news software?  Is it time to have Brian Reid run
>yet another survey?  Do I dare to send out a "version" control
>message?  Would the results be meaningful given strangely incompatible
>news software?

And anyone running the older versions should be aware that they are
vulnerable to the "Morris" or "Internet" virus. Just because he only
enabled the SMTP portion of the code doesn't mean that someone else can't
or won't! Out of date news/mail servers (even with the debug option
disabled) are vulnerable! 

Sorry to bring bad news, but better to find out now than when your system
"goes away"!

-- 
           *Mike Waters    AA4MW/7  waters@dover.sps.mot.com *
Larkinson's Law:
	All laws are basically false.