🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1992Aug26.174017.1077@ms.uky.edu> morgan@ms.uky.edu writes:

>  Seriously, let's look at the possibilities:
>  
>  	- I could (as the admin) sweep through all the user files,
>  	  looking for Crack source/binaries.  This is unacceptable.
>...
>  	- I could write an automated shell script that examines every
>  	  text file on the system, reporting the names of any files which
>  	  are in /etc/passwd format (i.e. Crack food).  This borders on the 
>  	  unacceptable.

It *is* unacceptable, IMHO - the same thing of searching user files.

>  OR.......
>  
>  	- I can set a simple policy that says "this system is not to be used
>  	  for the development or use of password cracking software".  My users
>  	  are Engineering students; they have no curricular need to develop
>  	  such software on our systems.  
>  
>  	  This approach benefits everyone (in theory).  The users don't have
>  	  to worry about admins (or Crack users) rooting through their files, 
>  	  and I don't have to worry about Crack fanciers.......

Are you sure that setting a policy will *prevent* your system from
being Crack'ed? ;;-)

>...
>  Computing resources are usually assigned/allocated within this framework.
>  However, assignments/allocations of these resources for purposes outside
>  of the framework can (and should) be limited.  A Mechanical Engineering 
>  student may wish to write a Japanese text parser; while that is a laudable
>  project, can we justify the allocation of Engineering resources to that
>  goal?  
>  
>  "Academic freedom" is not equivalent to "a blank check".

Right, but... be VERY careful about that.

The step from your Japanese parser to general restrictions like 'we
don't carry alt* and rec* newsgroups' is dangerously short. Take
another example: When I want books from my university library, nobody
cares about the importance of, say, a book on music history for my
computer science studies. Not a blank check, but the provision of
CERTAIN resources for own use (as opposed to the provision of
resources for CERTAIN use - understood?)

I don't know about your engineering department, and I know that this
is a heatedly debated issue since computers exist (are games allowed?
and so on) but I think universities should provide the resources they
are able to (technically, financially,...) and place no restrictions
on their use unless there are justifiable reasons to do so, e.g.
outright abuse (what this is, however, should not be stated par ordre
du mufti but established, ideally, by a board of staff AND students).

MfG,
        Olaf
-- 
Olaf Titz - comp.sc.student - Univ of Karlsruhe - s_titz@iravcl.ira.uka.de -
uknf@dkauni2.bitnet - praetorius@irc - +49-721-60439 - did i forget something?
One frequently hears horror expressed that a 2M byte machine may have 400K
 devoted to its operating system. - Fred Brooks (1975)