From: marcf@nexus.yorku.ca (Marc G Fournier)
Subject: Question and Observations
Organization: York University
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 16:06:23 GMT

Hi Folks...

	Okay, I played around with Linux last night, without distractions.
(SLS 0.99)  I came up with the following problems that would be nice
to have fixed/explained:

1.	While installing, on disk b6, I get the following error:

installing smail... : File exists
tar: Could not create symlink to /usr/bin/smail

	Why do I get that if it is the first time installing smail?

2.	Finally figured out how to create a new user account, but it
doesn't seem like an intelligent way to do things :(

step 1: useradd -D -f -1 <-- to change the inactivity flag to -1 from 0
	NOTE: you have to manually create /etc/default or it won't work
step 2: useradd -g GID -m username <-- creates account with home dir
step 3: passwd -d username <--- deletes whatever passwd useradd is creating
step 4: repeat steps 2 and 3 for each user

	First question...why create an account with default settings that
don't allow a user to log into the account?

	Second question...why create an account with a passwd that noone
knows?

3.	When logging into new account created in [Q2], it requests a new
passwd (what I want), after entering the passwd, it gives a 'No Mail'
warning (expected) and then I get:

Cannot execute:  Permission denied

	and logs the user out.  If the user logs back in again, using his
passwd, it logs in without an error.
	I tried putting echo statements in the /etc/profile to see if it
is being run through, and the Permission denied is coming before the
profile is read.  I did a strings /bin/login and the only thing in there
that I can find is /etc/d_passwd...but I don't have that program on my
system (seems to be lots of stuff missing that should be there)

	Question:  Any idea what it can't execute?

4.	How to get rid of 'Your passwd will expire in 0 days'?  This
is only used as a Public access site...I don't want the passwd's to 
expire, period.  I thought that was what useradd -D -f -1 did??

5.	Mail...if I send email from me to another user, I own his
folder...why?  Kinda useless if the user I'm sending too can't read
his mail because I own his folder..isn't it?

6.	mkefs/mkfs: -i bytes-per-inode option

	What is the default value? 1024k?

	I want to create a new partition, and think that a 1K filesystem
will just be too wasteful, considering most articles aren't very big
anyway.  Then again, for the most part, I think a 1K filesystem is
too wasteful.  If I set -i to 512, will that make .5k/block filesystem?

-----------------[ gripes on...not a flame, don't misinterprete ]-----------

	So far, from what I've seen, I like Linux...as a single-user 
OS...but setting it up as a multi-user OS, it seems to be lacking lots.
Basically, I think the fact that most of the system on installation being
owned by root (ie. root owning all the news stuff??) leaves a little to
be desired.  Also, when installing stuff line uucp and cnews, it doesn't
create all required subdirectories (ie. uucp doesn't create /usr/spool/uucp
and news doesn't create any of /usr/spool/news/..).  For someone not
familiar with cnews, or uucp for that matter, how are they supposed to
know that you need an in.coming and out.going directory for news?

---------------------[ gripes off ]--------------------------------------

	I know...Linux is still young, and I've been very impressed with
what I've seen, and the developments done, and the extensive help
available from the net, so don't read me wrong...I'm still installing this
on my system for dialin Unix access...I just think that there are some 
things that could be improved upon that are more important then some
of the other things, that's all (one man's opinion)

thanks for all the help...

Marc