password and gecos

[Charles Quenneville]

Hello!

I would like to implement a password security in a program. For
example, I want to put in a public directory a program for just
a certain number of users (of different groups). I have thought
of using getpass() but if I do so, it would be easy for someone
to use `strings' and find the password. So what I would like to
do is simple: 

	ask for the userid
	ask for the password
	compare the userid and the password in a *LOCAL* file
	if everything is ok, proceed
	else kaboum!

The local password file could contain 2 fields: 

	userid:encrypted password

I know I could crypt the program and then give the key to the
people who would want to run the program. That's not what I want
to do.

The only problem is that I don't know C enough to start playing with
these macros. If anyone out there would *PLEASE* do it for me... I
would be more than thankful... 

Plus, could anyone tell me how to extract the fields in the 
/etc/passwd file? Either by using the structure in the pwd.h file
or simply by using for's and while's.

A last question: Could you tell me what gecos means?

Thank you very much in advance.


--
    Charles Quenneville
    quennevi at kovic.iro.umontreal.ca

"Ventrebleu, de par ma chandelle verte, j'aime mieux etre gueux