Re: user private groups and a src group

[Glen Reesor <glenr@cu59.crl.aecl.ca>]

I agree with a number of the posters here that the gid=uid proposal
is an elegant solution to the multiple developer's accessing the
same directory problem.  As far as adduser having to modify the
group file as well, I see no problem in that since it is an implementation
detail that users will not need to be aware of.  The bottom line
is the added convenience to the users.

Previously, Ian Jackson wrote:

> The one major system I came across recently where it wasn't done
> wished they had done it, but they couldn't now because they'd already
> assigned the uid/gid numbers and they were too hard to change.

And in another of his messages:

> It has to be the default because retrofitting it is an incredible pain
> in the backside.

These two quotes bring to mind an issue I haven't seen mentioned yet--
that of sharing filesystems via NFS with machines that do *not* use
this uid=gid method.  Won't it be a major pain to align the two
machines' group and passwd files??

For example, I work in a group that has three Unix machines  (one
HP, 2 SGI).  We recently decided to share resources more (in fact,
users just have one home directory that is visible from all machines).
Since these machines are separately administered, one could potentially
have been setup using a uid=gid scheme similar to that discussed for
Debian--unless I'm missing something, the configuration of group and
passwd files to accomplish the file sharing would have been very 
difficult.

I could see the same scenario happening with a Linux box.  Someone
puts a Linux box on their desk, and wants to use NFS with 
machines administered by someone else.

So anyway, this is another thing to be considered, and could affect
the popularity of Debian for people wanting to integrate it with
a network of machines they do not administer.

-- 
Glen Reesor                          | Email: glenr@cu59.crl.aecl.ca
AECL Research                        | Phone: (613) 584-3311
Station 92, Building 145             | I speak for myself, not AECL Research.
Chalk River, ON       Canada K0J 1J0 |(They don't pay me enough for that.)