graham@DRCVAX.ARPA (01/11/88)
Come, Let's be reasonable; There has been much banter lately about not trusting distributions made with VMS_SHAR and other self-unpacking programs. This is, to me, ridiculous. The ladies and gentlemen of this net and the common world of VAXen are, by and large, people of great integrity. Practically everyone on this net knows the big names, and if you think for a moment that any of them would foist a program on you that would corrupt your VAX, then you had better get into another business, because the prople at DEC are no more trustworthy. I don't for a moment downplay the importance of security and keeping your eyes open, but trust is a commodity that must be maintained in the VAX world, as well as in other worlds. Yes, I unpack and test things in a nonprivileged account, where possible. I do this, more because I don't trust myself than the authors. I keep a close eye on my system and know pretty much what is going on. Most people who distribute material here and on DECUS tapes are semi-public figures in our smallish community. I rather doubt they are going to corrupy uout VAX or infect it with a Trojan Horse foal. Let's stop doubting our own ranks and tend to real problems. Dan Graham P.S. There is a funny thing about the universe, treat it with trust and integrity and you will get them in return. Laugh and flame all you want, but it is still true. ------