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From: adb@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Adam Bryant)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.games.bugs
Subject: Re: Conqer password problems (was: Re: Conquer 4 core dump)
Message-ID: <34160@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 8 Aug 89 00:02:37 GMT
References: <3448@uokmax.UUCP> <645@kl-cs.UUCP> <1056@aipna.ed.ac.uk>
Reply-To: adb@bu-it.bu.edu (Adam Bryant)
Followup-To: comp.sources.games.bugs
Organization: Boston University Archery Club
Lines: 45

In article <1056@aipna.ed.ac.uk> rjc@aipna.ed.ac.uk (Richard Caley) writes:
> size of the password limit is rather low, this is causing the
>program to run out of room for the password.

This is possible in places... but the biggest problem is that the
builtin function getpass() has an 8 character limit.  [Another reason
why I wish to implement my own password routine.]

>
>There is obviously some problem with the code that this causes a corrupt
>password ( maybe the strncpy(passwd,getpass(...),PASSLTH) should have
>PASSLTH-1?).

I tried some things with the first patch... that might do something
to fix it.  [But I doubt it.  I can't see where it really changed
anything.]

>Otherwise just use four or five letter passwords.

That does seem to avoid many problems.  [Also caused me not to
be able to notice the problem for months since that is the length
of the passwords I used *sigh*]

>While we are at it, the size of leader and country names is a little
>skimpy too ( 7 characters! ). Upping this to 20 as well might be an idea
>then you can be Bobo the Mute ruling over Gaglopolonia.

Might be able to do that... but it would not become official until
the next release.  [I do not want to change the data structure to
ruin ongoing campaigns.]

>Was the development done with machines of small memory size in mind?

The developement on my end was done on a rather unlimited system, but
Ed worked on a small computer.  [And also, future movement onto PCs
is planned.

adam



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