Newsgroups: bit.listserv.words-l
Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 16:34:02 MST
 <WORDS-L%UGA.bitnet@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
Comments:     Resent-From: Dan Lester <ALILESTE@idbsu.idbsu.edu>
Comments:     Originally-From: Eric Thomas <ERIC%SEARN.BITNET@idbsu.idbsu.edu>
From:         Dan Lester <ALILESTE%IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
Subject:      Answers to FAQ about the recent fixes (17B-001o to 17B-003o)
Comments: To: All fellow wordslers <words-l@uga.cc.uga.edu>

We have on various occasions discussed the wonderful Eric Thomas, who
writes LISTSERV for us.  He has his own inimitable style of writing, of
flaming, and so forth.  I have appended below a bit of a recent msg from
LSTSRV-L for your education.

Don't worry about the details....just Eric reminding all the world's
highly paid postmasters and systems programmers that they aren't the ONLY
busy or important people in the world.

dan      [anything in square brackets are my own comments]
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I have received  a lot of private mail regarding  the fixes released over
the  weekend.  Because  over  200  sites are  affected,  I  cannot  reply
individually to everyone, in particular  not to questions which have been
answered on the list.
      [these are systems folk who ought to be on the list, of course]

If you have not read the descriptions  of the 3 fixes in  question, do so
before reading  any further or  asking me  something. The answer  to your
question is probably in the description.
      [RTFM, you idiots!]

Everyone should install the  first fix. It is a good  idea to install the
second fix even if you don't run CMS  6-8. It is a harmless waste of your
time to install the third fix if your copy of LSWCWRT MODULE is readable.
      [love 'harmless waste of your time']

If you inadvertently  lost some of the  messages I posted, do  not ask me
for a copy! Get  it from the list archives, it is faster  for both of us.
   [and this list IS archived...as these folks damn well oughta know]

If you  don't know how  to access  list archives, now  is a good  time to
learn (TELL  LISTSERV INFO  DATABASE). If  you don't  have time  for such
things, try for  a few seconds to  think up reasons why  I would consider
your time  more precious than mine,  and come by yourself  to the obvious
conclusion,  thus saving  yourself the  time needed  to lecture  me about
imaginary "duties".
     [and if these folks don't know this.....]

I am indeed very sorry to have  written code with a security exposure - I
never claimed to be perfect. This does  not however mean that I have time
to reassure 50 people individually and confirm that command so and so was
indeed the right one to type. Even  if you typed the right command, all I
can say is that you ran the  program that installs the fix, which for all
I know might have failed or might  be buggy. You might have had the wrong
disks accessed,  and so  on. There  is no way  I am  going to  confirm to
anyone that the  exposure is gone based  on a console log  or command you
typed, because it simply proves nothing! The only way to confirm that the
exposure is gone  is by poking it  and finding out that  the wall doesn't
yield. If  you want me  to do that,  say so very  explicitly so I  know I
won't get sued if  I do it, and I still won't do  that without a good bit
of convincing.

  Eric

   [even Eric can admit to less than perfection....but he isn't about to
do other folks' jobs for them...their security problems are theirs, not
his....]


        dan in potatoland
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU