> On 4/11/06, Dennis Clarke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > [snip] >> >> Do we need vipw to safely edit the /etc/passwd file ? >> > > YES!!! absolutely, people make mistakes, and no one wants to go down > to the datacenter or even the basement, and boot the system with an > emergency disk or install disk to fix broken passwd files. > > [snip] [ brutal snippage ]
The blunt point that I was trying to dig with has been missed it seems. What I am really saying is that one who needs to directly edit the /etc/passwd file is most likely living in the past. I feel that the files responsible for user login data should be abstracted beneath a layer of protective devices like usermod. The vipw tool is an artifact of historical value only and if we continue to rely on the structure of a, excuse me, a simple text file for user login data then I fail to see how UNIX/Solaris ( or Linux ) will move forwards to more abstract ways of dealing with users and the administration of them. Dennis Clarke _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list opensolaris-discuss@opensolaris.org
