🚀 go-pugleaf

Excerpts from ext.misc.info-andrew: 11-Nov-92 Making ahyperlink running
.. Dag Nygren@bloom-beacon. (533)

> is there a way of using pushbuttons to run other programs from a ezdocument?

I just finished a small project which does just this, however it is a
bit moredifficult than to simply create a button that runs a command. 
Obviously thecommand could do something malicious.  Just look at the
hoops that ness goesthrough to protect users!

My idea is to create a button (I call it runbutton for lack of abetter
name) that could run an arbitrary command, but the ordinary PATH isnot
used to execute the command.  Instead a preference is used tosearch a
limited set of directories.  Presumably administrators would policethe
commands in those directories.  Also, the command name cannot
containslashes (no absolute or ../../xxx relative commands).  It also
does not use ashell to execute the command so shell metacharacters like
backquote are notinterpreted.

I also plan to look for command's whose names are the form xxx.n, which
I willassume is a ness script.  In this case, I will compile and execute
the nesscode automatically when the button is pushed.  This allows the
ness to takecontrol of the window, asking questions, etc.

Anybody see any security holes in this plan?  I haven't looked at the
Nessidea too closely yet, but it looks trivial.  I don't know about
securitythere, though.

-todd inglett