Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 07:00:02 -0700 From: hohmuth@inf.tu-dresden.de (Michael Hohmuth) To: freebsd-bugs Subject: Re: bin/746: `talk' forbids talking from write-protected terminal for no good reason Message-ID: <199509281400.HAA14705@freefall.freebsd.org>
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The following reply was made to PR bin/746; it has been noted by GNATS.
From: hohmuth@inf.tu-dresden.de (Michael Hohmuth)
To: joerg_wunsch@uriah.heep.sax.de
Cc: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: bin/746: `talk' forbids talking from write-protected terminal for no good reason
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 14:53:40 +0100 (MET)
J Wunsch wrote:
> As hohmuth@inf.tu-dresden.de wrote:
> >
> > The `talk' program has a misfeature in that it cannot be used except
> > from a terminal with messages on ("mesg y"). When used from a
> > write-protected terminal (messages off, "mesg n"), it complains that
> > ``The callee cannot write to this terminal, use "mesg y"''.
>
> This has been discussed before with the conclusion that this feature
> is believed to be okay. For example, the callee migh want to respond
> to the talk request with a short message via write(1) saying that he's
> going to have the talk later, instead of actually invoking the talk
> right now.
I believe this is an issue of the user's policy, not of the system's.
I don't understand why a program should intentionally be crippled in
order to enforce a policy the user may not want.
Wouldn't it be OK to just print a warning message but allow usage of
the program anyway?
Michael
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Email: hohmuth@inf.tu-dresden.de
WWW: http://www.inf.tu-dresden.de/~mh1/
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