*BSD News Article 18743


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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
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From: boyd@austin.ibm.com (Boyd R. Faulkner)
Subject: Re: Using gets() [ Was Re: nn ]
Originator: boyd@pal411.austin.ibm.com
Message-ID: <CAKu2r.10rt@austin.ibm.com>
Sender: boyd@austin.ibm.com ()
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 17:32:51 GMT
Reply-To: boyd@pal411.austin.ibm.com
References: <1993Jul17.203914.25267@fwi.uva.nl> <229qig$53k@pdq.coe.montana.edu> <OLEG.93Jul17185604@gd.cs.CSUFresno.EDU> <1993Jul19.005949.28286@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu>
Organization: IBM Austin
Lines: 26


In article <1993Jul19.005949.28286@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu>, sadkins@bigbird.cs.ohiou.edu (Scott W. Adkins) writes:
> In article <OLEG.93Jul17185604@gd.cs.CSUFresno.EDU> oleg@gd.cs.CSUFresno.EDU (Oleg Kibirev) writes:
> >
> >Not to start another  religious war... There is nothing wrong with using  gets
> >if  there is no good  reason  for input to be longer than some limit.  Like, a
> >response to a yes/no question is very unlikely to be longer than 8 characters.
> >If a user wants to break the program, he is welcome to do so (unless it's suid
> >or a daemon). I would just compile nn with my own version of gets:
> 
> 
> Maybe somebody should send mail to the author's of nn about it so that maybe
> it will be officially fixed?
> 
> Scott
> -- 
>          Scott W. Adkins           Internet: sadkins@ohiou.edu
>          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                     ak323@cleveland.freenet.edu
>     Ohio University of Athens        Bitnet: adkins@ouaccvma.bitnet

I will not debate whether the function is a good one or not.  However, since it is included
for the sake of compatibility, I would argue that it should be distributed in a fashion that
allows its use.  If those in charge feel that use is so bad it must be discouraged at all cost,
take it out.  I would prefer the former just for the sake of compatibility.  

Boyd R. Faulkner