Subject: No individual configurations?

From: [email-masked] (Library Management Associates)
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 16:19:34 GMT

Is there a way to have just one configuration file for all of our users, 
without having individual accounts being able to change their own 
configurations and override the main configuration?
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Elizabeth B. Thomsen		|	Listowner : Trollope, Bronte, Benson
Library Management Associates	|		    Boston-book, Boston-cares
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From: Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 18:18:39 -0500

> configurations and override the main configuration?

    The "Pine Technical Notes" for version 3.91 (October 1994), beginning 
on page 28, discuss configuration.  A system administrator can set up a 
system-wide *fixed* configuration file for at least some variables which 
users cannot override.  It might go in a file such as 
/usr/local/lib/pine.conf.fixed .  Sorry, I don't have the ftp URL where 
the Technical Notes can be obtained.  (An administrator can also set up 
a system-wide configuration file which users *can* override.)

Paul                             <[email-masked]>
----------------------------------------------------------
Paul O. Bartlett, P.O. Box 857, Vienna, VA 22183-0857, USA
Finger, keyserver, or WWW for PGP 2.6.2 public key 
Home Page:  URL: http://www.access.digex.net/~pobart

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From: Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 18:22:30 -0500

On Mon, 22 Jan 1996, Paul O Bartlett wrote:

: On Mon, 22 Jan 1996, Library Management Associates wrote:
: 
: > Is there a way to have just one configuration file for all of our users, 
: > without having individual accounts being able to change their own 
: > configurations and override the main configuration?
: 
:     The "Pine Technical Notes" for version 3.91 (October 1994), beginning 
: on page 28, discuss configuration.  [...]
:                                   Sorry, I don't have the ftp URL where 
: the Technical Notes can be obtained.  [...]

    Just found something.  Look in

        ftp://ftp.cac.washington.edu/pine
        http://www.cac.washington.edu/pine

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From: [email-masked] (Margrete Raaum)
Date: 23 Jan 1996 10:13:30 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
	Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]> writes:

>the Technical Notes can be obtained. 

http://www.washington.edu:1180/pine/tech-notes/index.html

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From: Jeffrey Goldberg <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 17:25:31 +0000

> configurations and override the main configuration?

All pine configuration information that you do not wish to
be changable by users should go into (for Unix versions)
/usr/local/pine.conf-fixed, there is something similar for
the VMS versions.  For DOS, I don't think the concept really
makes sense.

Note that all you can do with this is prevent users from accidently
using certain things.  A determined user can always recompile
a version of pine for herself that by-passes the -fixed files.

-jeff

Jeffrey Goldberg                +44 (0)1234 750 111 x 2826
 Cranfield Computer Centre      FAX         751 814
 [email-masked]     http://WWW.Cranfield.ac.uk/public/cc/cc047/
      "An `alternative paradigm' is the first refuge of the incompetent" --LM

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From: [email-masked] (David Mullaney)
Date: 22 Jan 1996 21:58:52 GMT

Library Management Associates ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Is there a way to have just one configuration file for all of our users, 
: without having individual accounts being able to change their own 
: configurations and override the main configuration?

A quick and incomplete solution would be to chown (change owner) of
.pinerc so that it is owned by root with permissions -rw-r--r--

(or set up a symbolic link to some such file).

Hope that helps.

--
+ DAVID MULLANEY  Mailstop #99, Loctn. 1UN5  (970) 229-7629 +
+  > Net: [email-masked] http://hpfcdn/   -*-  fax 2838 +
+  > Software Engineer -- Ignition/UDL/OSSD         /\/\/\  +
+  > Hewlett-Packard, Ft. Collins, Colorado  _-/\^^/      \ +

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From: [email-masked] (Eric R. Holst)
Date: 24 Jan 1996 15:48:13 GMT

David Mullaney ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Library Management Associates ([email-masked]) wrote:
: : Is there a way to have just one configuration file for all of our users, 
: : without having individual accounts being able to change their own 
: : configurations and override the main configuration?

: A quick and incomplete solution would be to chown (change owner) of
: .pinerc so that it is owned by root with permissions -rw-r--r--

This WON'T work!
Assuming the user(s) own and have write permissions on their home
directory, they can delete the .pinerc, even if w/ the owner/permissions
stated above.

: (or set up a symbolic link to some such file).

See above^

: Hope that helps.

: --
: + DAVID MULLANEY  Mailstop #99, Loctn. 1UN5  (970) 229-7629 +
: +  > Net: [email-masked] http://hpfcdn/   -*-  fax 2838 +
: +  > Software Engineer -- Ignition/UDL/OSSD         /\/\/\  +
: +  > Hewlett-Packard, Ft. Collins, Colorado  _-/\^^/      \ +

Eric
--
   /Eric R. Holst-(brewer_&_patriot)--------------Office Systems Coordinator\
  | C$erve 76527,162                       <insert standard disclaimer here> |
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   \finger:[email-masked] FOR MY PGP PUBLIC KEY----------------------------/

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From: [email-masked] (Andreas Muck)
Date: 23 Jan 1996 23:15:33 GMT

pine.conf.fixed 
See the manpage to find out where to put it.

And