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