Re: more question about porting/gcc

[Maurits van de Kamp <maurits@bassment.demon.nl>]

On Sat, 14 Mar 1998, Howard Chu wrote:

> The case of identd in particular is really meaningless in the MiNT environment.
> Before you set out to "port" software, you need to understand *why* you want
> that software in the first place; what function does it serve?

Hmm I feel I should butt in here, because it was my idea in the first
place. :) The reason I came up with it, is because I thought it a bit
silly that you can't get on IRC with ircII i the way yo are supposed to be
(with identd). The biggest problem WAS that you were refused on (most?)
EFnet servers. Although apparantly they found another way of looking up
your hostname, so that's ok now.

Then again, an identd in "AtarIRC-style" would be very easy to make: Just
lsten on port 113, and reply to 2 lines from the server, that's it. (It
wouldn't work for anything else, but then again as you rightfully pointed
out: There's no need.) :)

I know MiNT is never gonna be Unix, but I don't think there's anything
wrong with trying now and then..:) But of course, if it takes too
fundamental changes in MiNT then it shouldn't be done. But as for asking
why.. why have most services so far been ported to MiNT? ..because they
CAN. :)

(Same reason why I have httpd running on my falcon, in my particular
setup it is less useful than identd) :) (Although I do have a multiuser
setup) :)

Btw I agree fully with your point that identd is completely useless for
security. Then again, irc servers still rely on it for some reason. :)

Maurits.

---

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

          Maurits van de Kamp (maurits@bassment.demon.nl)

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