Re: Open 7.3 items

On Tuesday 06 August 2002 09:24 pm, Marc G. Fournier wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Aug 2002, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > It had such limited usefulness ('password' only, only crypted-hashed
> > passwords in the file) that it doesn't make much sense to resurect it.

> It had limited usefulness to you ... but how many sites out there are
> going to break when they try to upgraded without it there? I do agree
> that it needs to improved / replaced, but without a suitable replacement
> in place, the old should be resurrected until such a suitable one is in
> place ...

While it appears I'll be outvoted on this issue, and even though I agree that
the existing functionality is broken, and even though I am not using the
functionality, I am reminded of the overall policy that we have historically
had about removing even broken features. Fair Warning must be given. If that
policy is going to be changed, then it needs to be applied with equal vigor
to all affected cases.

Even if Marc is the only one using this feature, we should follow established
policy -- that is, after all, what policy is for. To me it seems it is being
yanked gratuitously without fair warning. If every question is answered on a
case-by-case basis like this, we will descend to anarchy, I'm afraid. And,
Bruce, I even agree with your reasons -- I just disagree with the method.

Is it going to cause a major problem for it to remain one release cycle while
someone works on a suitable replacement, with the warning in the release
notes that while this feature is there for backwards compatibility that it
will be yanked at the next release? And I'm not talking about a minor
problem like 'more people will start using it' -- I'm talking 'if it stays we
will be in danger of massive data corruption or exposure' -- of course,
documenting that there is a degree of exposure of data if not set up in an
exacting method, as Marc seems to have done.

Some may say Marc has fair warning now -- but does anyone know for sure that
NO ONE ELSE in the whole world isn't using this feature? Marc is more in the
know than most, granted -- but if he found this use for the feature others
may have as well that we don't even know about.

But if the feature is not going to remain it needs to be prominently
documented as being removed in the release notes.
--
Lamar Owen
WGCR Internet Radio
1 Peter 4:11