Re: GNATS password management

[Yngve Svendsen]

At 23:36 27.06.2001 +0200, Milan Zamazal wrote:
>    YS> -n, --nocreate  Don't create file; display results on stdout.
>
> This option looks useless to me here.

The rationale for this option is that people might then use it in more 
general contexts when they need to calculate an MD5 hash of a password for 
use in other applications than GNATS.

>    YS> gnats-pw
>     YS> gnats-pw [-cmdps] passwordfile username accesslevel
>     YS> gnats-pw -n[mdps] username accesslevel
>
> I'd call it `gnats-passwd'.

Yes, if that isn't too long?

> I'm not sure I like specifying `passwordfile' this way (I know htpasswd
> does it so).  I'd prefer having an `-f / --file' option instead, thus
> making the argument optional, possibly combined with `-d / --database'
> for specifying a particular database.  I think it's easier to handle for
> GNATS admins -- they don't have to think about the exact names and
> locations of the access files.

Yes, that would probably be the best way to do it.

> Using `-d' for database would cause a collision with:
>
>     YS> -d, --crypt     Force CRYPT encryption of the password (default).
>
> but maybe someone can find a better single letter for the --crypt
> option.

We could use -C, --create for "create new file", and -c, --crypt for "force 
DES encryption".

- Yngve