Re: Bits from the release team: the plans for etch

[Andreas Barth <aba@not.so.argh.org>]

* Stephen Frost (sfrost@snowman.net) [051026 20:46]:
> Additionally, this is *not* a problem with the orphaning of the file,
> it's a problem with the reuse of a previously-used uid.  I could see
> adding a system to track previously-used uids and not reusing them.  I
> don't believe using passwd for that (and keeping unused accounts in
> passwd/shadow/group/gshadow/etc) is appropriate.  It would seem enough
> to me, at least, to keep an ever-increasing counter where the current
> value is the next available uid.  This could be reset if it reaches the
> max, or an error presented to the user about it or some such.


Well, I could see us to build such a system. But this system isn't there
- and IMHO the next working way to prevent uids of being reused is to
keep the account in question (perhaps locked etc, as suggested
elsewhere).

Anything else is IMHO plainly broken.


Cheers,
Andi