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Date:      Tue, 16 Jan 2001 15:08:21 -0800
From:      Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>
To:        Marc Slemko <marcs@znep.com>
Cc:        John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.ORG>, arch@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: no newgroup/newgrp in FreeBSD? 
Message-ID:  <200101162308.f0GN8Xt24503@cwsys.cwsent.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 16 Jan 2001 14:50:41 PST." <Pine.BSF.4.20.0101161445270.6880-100000@alive.znep.com> 

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In message <Pine.BSF.4.20.0101161445270.6880-100000@alive.znep.com>, 
Marc Slemk
o writes:
> On Tue, 16 Jan 2001, John Baldwin wrote:
> 
> > 
> > On 16-Jan-01 Marc Slemko wrote:
> > > On Tue, 16 Jan 2001, Peter Wemm wrote:
> > > 
> > >> This functionality does not have any place in FreeBSD as "all groups in
> > >> the groups vector are equal".  We could simply provide a non-setuid wrap
> per
> > >> for running a new command with no changes...  That would be compliant wi
> th
> > >> the interface..  
> > > 
> > > newgrp is also of use when your group membership in /etc/groups has been
> > > changed after you logged in and were setup with the appropriate group
> > > list.
> > > 
> > > You login, are not a member of group freeporn, then someone adds you to
> > > group freeporn, and "newgrp freeporn" will let you get free porn without
> > > logging in again, etc.
> > > 
> > > No?
> > 
> > /usr/bin/login -f ${LOGNAME}
> 
> A non setuid wrapper would still not provide the same functionality that
> newgrp does, which is part of what I'm repsonding to.
> 
> And login -f does not preserve things like environment, cwd, etc. like
> newgrp does which matters when you have environment variables that vary
> (eg. ssh authentication agent).  And you are then logged in twice.
> 
> Sure, there are lots of other ways to do nearly the same thing.  
> Including simply logging out and logging in again.  The point is simply
> that newgrp would not be a noop on freebsd if it were implemented and does
> have some useful, if minor, functionality.

I fail to see how login -f or logging out and in again would provide 
what the originator of this thread wants to do.  Nor do I see how a 
noop would fill the bill either.  Simply put, newgrp is a SYSVism that 
cannot emulated under BSD.

I suppose we could implement the sgid bit for directories to implement 
SYSV behaviour when during file/directory creation -- the reverse of 
SYSV's sgid bit for directories -- and along with it a newgrp program.  
Then again, why?  If I wanted to use a SYSV system instead of a BSD 
system I'd use Solaris x86 instead of FreeBSD.  Linux uses SYSV 
semantics as well so it would be an alternative to Solaris.


Regards,                         Phone:  (250)387-8437
Cy Schubert                        Fax:  (250)387-5766
Team Leader, Sun/Alpha Team   Internet:  Cy.Schubert@osg.gov.bc.ca
Open Systems Group, ITSD, ISTA
Province of BC





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