[6411] in Athena Bugs
vax 7.1H: finger/chfn
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Raul Acevedo acevedo@athena.mit)
Wed Nov 14 20:07:52 1990
To: bugs@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 90 20:07:36 EST
From: Raul Acevedo acevedo@athena.mit.edu <acevedo@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
System name: w20-575-88
Type and version: CVAXSTAR 7.1H
Display type: SM
What were you trying to do?
Change my finger information.
What's wrong:
chfn asked me about changing my: Home address, MIT Dept., and MIT
year. But when I finger myself -- or anyone else -- this
information doesn't appear.
What should have happened:
Either chfn shouldn't ask to change this information, or finger
should display it when you finger someone.
Please describe any relevant documentation references:
According to jik [a pretty-close-to-standard documentation
reference, if you ask me ... :-)]:
The information is contained in the database. The problem is
that there's no place to put it in the passwd entry, so it isn't
put there by hesiod. However, the program that runs on
athena.mit.edu doesn't use standard finger format, so it would
be feasible to modify the data file that it uses to include that
information, as long as it isn't considered a violation of
privacy. chfn asks for them because they're in the database.
The bug is in the displaying, not the asking.
It wouldn't be an invasion of privacy ... if anyone doesn't want
anyone else to see this info, then they can change it. Again, either
chfn shouldn't ask, or finger should display it. Personally, I'd
like finger to display it ...
Raul
