MAJOR BUG (what a hooter!)

David Canzi rjhurdal at watmath.UUCP
Thu Apr 19 07:33:51 AEST 1984


Yes, you can call it a feature if you want, since it was obviously
deliberately put there.
But, if the first five or the last five lines of /etc/passwd contain a userid
or encrypted password ending in "vi", "ex", "vx", or "ei", then using "vipw"
becomes a risky business.
This feature is a trap waiting to spring on the unwary, and such features are
unwelcome in any programming language, operating system, or text editor.  It
obviously serves a purpose, but some safer way ought to be found to accomplish
this purpose.



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