From: jsue@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Jeffrey L. Sue)
Subject: Re: HELP!!! Security problem for gurus.
Originator: jsue@pluto.ncsa.uiuc.edu
Organization: The Dow Chemical Company
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 21:13:53 GMT

In article <72421@cup.portal.com> Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com writes:
>In a recent article whose header Portal doesn't pull in for me here,
>jsue@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Jeffrey L. Sue) writes:
>>
>>In article <1h9e1nINN1c9@gap.caltech.edu> carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU writes:
>>>
>>>Easy:  Just pick a date that's before NOW.  
>>Hmm....
>>MAIL$09A8BDA800050096.MAI doesn't like it has anything to do with a date.
>>
>> [... several paragraphs of talking-out-of-both-sides-of-his-mouth 
>> deleted, in which he says first that he knows quite a bit about how
>> VMS works, even though things like how Mail determines the "bignumber"
>> portion of MAIL$*.MAI files are of little use to him, and then says
>> that it's not worth any effort on his part to look it up, deleted]
>
>Jeff, unfortunately this is EXACTLY the kind of attitude Carl was 
>originally complaining about, although the epithet "using shit for 
>brains" probably wasn't intended originally to refer specifically to
>YOU but rather to any such types who MIGHT POTENTIALLY be readers 
>here.  However, you seem to be waving a membership card in that club...
>
>The whole POINT of Carl's semi-flame was that if you kept your wits
>about you and really peered into the depths -- even a tiny bit; this
>really isn't very deep at all -- of how VMS does things, you'd be 
>infinitely better equipped to come up with creative solutions to unu-
>sual requests/problems (i.e. how to hide files?  stick 'em in your
>Mail directory with names that you KNOW won't be re-used.  How do 
>you KNOW what names won't be re-used?  Be aware of how Mail assigns
>the names!) than some other guy who just sits back and disdains such
>"details" as "not worth (his) effort" to know about.  I believe that
>it is IMPOSSIBLE to sit here, today, and pass judgment on what infor-
>[blah,blah,blah - shit that was a lot to read!]

Chris, get a clue.  Did you read the entire thread?  I was merely
stating that I liked someone else's idea of hiding files this way, but
that I didn't know anything about how the files were named.  I agree with
you that, in the case where I "didn't care", but needed this information,
then there's something wrong with how I am conducting myself in this job.
However, as I did say, I have never actually needed this information and
thus have never investigated it in depth.  If, in fact, this information
was something I needed to find out, I certainly would have taken much more
time to learn this information on my own before making a query on the
net.  (This is exactly how I've learned most of what I do know about
doing my job.)

It's amazing how much crap can result from a meaningless statement at
the end of a message.  In conversation these are merely ways to lighten
things up and maybe add a bit of personality.  For some out there this
type of personalizing has become more important than the *real* content
of the original posting.


-- 
-----
Jeff Sue   
 - All opinions are mine -       (and you can't have any, nya nya nya)