From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npois!ucbvax!ARPAVAX:CAD:ESVAX:Cory:cc-18
Newsgroups: net.news.b
Title: Re: full names in news 2.7 - (nf)
Article-I.D.: ucbcory.744
Posted: Fri Jun 11 21:30:24 1982
Received: Sun Jun 13 02:18:33 1982
Reply-To: -18

"The GCOS field is used only when communicating with that system,
and in other installations can contain any desired information."

--passwd(5), from V7 Unix Programmer's Manual.

The Berkeley Manual, however, DOES contain (see gecos(5)) an
explicit structure for the GCOS field.  The GCOS field consists
of semicolon-separated strings; the structure is:

	struct gecos {
		char *gc_crn;		/* charge record number	*/
		char *gc_games;		/* games-allowed flag	*/
		char *gc_loglim;	/* login limit in half-hours	*/
		char *gc_spare[7];	/* new fields to be added later	*/
			};

	extern struct gecos *pwgecos();

I think the case against using the GCOS field for net-wide software
is clear.  I suggest, instead, that netnews squirrel away somewhere
a list of real names for people; that enrollnews checks this; and that
the real name appear at the top AND bottom of the article, if possible.

Yes, I know 'enrollnews' doesn't exist yet, but I think it should!
Then all the "how do new users get a .newsrc"/"how does inews find
out what my name is"/"I want to tell everyone on my site not to
talk about the FOOBAR project" issues can be addressed in one place.

Michael Chastain
ucbvax!cory:cc-18      (UUCP)
Cory.cc-18@Berkeley    (ARPA)