🚀 go-pugleaf

/ hpsal2:comp.bugs.sys5 / meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal) /  7:17 am  Sep 21, 1988 /
In article <3394@dunkshot.mips.COM>, dce@mips.COM (David Elliott) writes:
> 
> It turns out that the System V (or at least SVR3) version of the
> passwd command will cause the resultant passwd file to be mode
> 0444.  I have had a couple of complaints about this, and would like
> to decide on a solution.

I suggest you tell the complainers to always leave the passwd file
0444. NOBODY besides root should have access to that, and root
can always w! from vi to force a write. User-friendly interfaces
can set their uid to root, as long as they are smart enough not
to become dangerous, or TOO friendly to non-root users...
----------

I think you're missing the point.  The passwd program should change a user's
password and THAT'S ALL.  It has absolutely no business changing anything
else (especially if it's not documented!).  UN*X in general follows the KISS
(keep it simple, stupid) philosophy and lets the user do all kinds of stupid
things (or things that appear stupid to other people).  This is definitely
a bug in passwd(1).

By the way, passwd seems to not change the mode on HP-UX (based on SVR2), but
it does change the owner and group to "root" and "other".

   Michael