shell field and profiles ...

[Robert Thau]

> /*
> > > Those users could have their .profile <set TERM and TZ>, then `exec' their
> > > <login shell> as the last statement.
> > 
> > 1) it's a kludge, the need for which can be obviated by a minor change
> > to "login";
> 
> It's NOT a kluge, it was DESIGNED that way. Why modify REAL CODE to do
> what you can with a PROFILE?

Maybe because you don't want the user to be able to get to an unrestricted
shell with a quick interrupt?  (Please don't flame about how your shell
prevents this.  I've seen one .profile hookup broken like this on a
(relatively) privileged account).

Forgive me for proposing the obvious, but one could either modify the
application, or write a short stub program in C which jockeys the
environment into shape and exec's the application (and put that in the
shell field).  While neither is pretty, these at least avoid dragging
in the Bourne shell.

Robert Thau
rst at tardis.ARPA