Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!wivax!cadmus!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!charles From: charles@utastro.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Don't force random passwords on people! Message-ID: <405@utastro.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Aug-84 13:07:07 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.405 Posted: Fri Aug 17 13:07:07 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 13:02:58 EDT References: <12465@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 36 At the risk of legitimizing opinions like this which are based on false assumptions, I offer the following: The program "randpasswd" was offered as an fairly interesting exercise in using random(3) and as a useful tool in coming up with new passwords that were not obvious to the casual user. No one at my site forces anyone to use any particular password, whether or not it was produced by "randpasswd". In reply to Mr. Wolffs vehement article, I have this to say: 1) If someone writes their password on a piece of paper, that piece of paper is then their responsibility, whether or not that password was produced by a password-generating-program. Neither I nor the program can be blamed for losing pieces of paper. 2) If you object to using password-generating programs, (and to do so is a personal and reasonable decision) don't use them and discourage your users from using them. 3) The users at my site are, in fact, not actively encouraged to use "randpasswd". In announcing its availability, it was only announced that it was available; no praises or guarantees of any kind were included, either explicitly or implied. 4) Some people, in fact, *do* find it useful, and use it all due caution. -- *>> Charles Sandel <<* uucp: {ut-sally, ut-ngp, noao, charm}!utastro!charles arpa: charles@utastro.UTEXAS.ARPA charles@ut-sally.UTEXAS.ARPA at&t: (512) 471-4461 x439