No kidding it's dead. Just because it's dead doesn't mean they can't do backwards support. The problem is infinitesimal in 2.x. But that's a moot point.
Same comments apply.
The hole is still there, even if you chmod it out. This script changes them back to what they should be. However, it hasn't been updated since 1993. You're missing the point. The ability to panic a system by merely reading the openprom is an error in implementation, not design.