[ On Monday, November 20, 2000 at 20:13:49 (+0100), Wolfgang Solfrank wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Addition to force open to open only regular files
>
> This seems quite backwards to me.

I think it's not only backwards, but WRONG.

> IMHO the correct solution is to document the routines as requiring
> a specific ID level, and by default switch off the new feature for
> setuid programs.  If you really think that the new feature is worthwhile
> (and it seems you do), then allow for new code to enable it via some
> flag argument or some external flag settable by a caller of the routine
> (either directly or through some other library routine) which tells
> the routine that you know what you are doing.
> 
> Wouldn't that work better?

Yes, introducing a "foobar_I_know_what_I_am_doing(TRUE)" call to
re-enable some feature for a set-ID program is one way to change the API
in a safe manner without changing the name of the interface.

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods@acm.org>      <robohack!woods>
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets of the Weird <woods@weird.com>