.      .
	  /|\ / _ |_   ._  _  _  _|. . _   .  _  .
	 /-| X (_`| |--| `|_)'_|| ||V||_) /| `_)/|
	/  |/ \._)| |  |  |_,(_||_|||||_,  |.._) |


Welcome to the new version of AXsh. Due to a disk crash (my new, 21 days
old Seagate11200N (1G) just stopped working in the middle of one night)
I almost lost my most recent AXsh sources and other development material I
had. However, I managed to salvage all vital files. On the other hand,
Lattice C 5.10a is now history, I did not have time to save it before the
disk died completely. Fortunately I don't really need it anymore, because
I now have SAS/C 6.51. Every cloud has a silver-lining...

So, the disk crash has delayed the release of AXsh1.31 even more and now
I also have to release AXsh 1.31 as-is, because I can't do any improvements
to the Lattice5.10a code anymore. I know that some users have already
got very tired of waiting for the new AXsh release. I just hope I am
forgiven..

About my future plans concerning AXsh:
I have decided to start developing AXsh.library from scratch (I already
had one version) without the dos.library-level protections. AXsh.library
is then used by my AXsh shell, which is a real ks2.0 UserShell, not just
a program running on top of the AmigaDOS shell like AXsh is now.
AXsh.library provides routines for user and group handling and for
resource database management (configuration entries).

In this stage AXsh would still have those slow and restrictive command and
parameter checking routines.

After this there are basically three ways to proceed:

1) Just use the shell-level protections
	+ No modification to the news- and mail-systems needed
	- Only 'safe' programs can be used
	- Hard to configure, all allowed commands/files/directories
	  have to be listed for each user-level

2) Co-operation with MuFS
	+ No command line argument checking needed
	+ Group system makes the 'user level'-concept obsolete
	+ Configuration is done in file-per-file basis instead of defining
	  the allowed programs, files and directories in a single file
	- Modifications to programs that need to access system
	  files and/or running them in SUID-mode
	- Dependancy of another shareware product
	  (Also, MuFS 'does too much' for my purposes)

3) Implement protections in dos.library level
	+ No command line argument checking needed
	+ Group system makes the 'user level'-concept obsolete
	+ Configuration is done in file-per-file basis instead of defining
	  the allowed programs, files and directories in a single file
	+ Usable/implementable on normal (pre v39) filesystems
	  (easier and more efficient in >=v39 filesystems)
	+ Hard file-quota limits are possible and files are trackable
	  throughout the whole systems
	[+ Possibility to collect statistics of filesystem usages
	   (e.g. bytes read/written, opens, lockings etc.) ]
	- Modifications to programs that need to access system
	  files and/or running them in SUID-mode
	- Programs that do direct IO without dos.library shouldn't be
	  used (e.g. programs using ixemul.library)

Address all thought about these things to 'albert@cs.tut.fi'
I would like to know what you would like this second-generation
AXsh to have, either from user's viewpoint or from administrator's
view or even the programmer's opinions about what the AXsh.library
should look like.

-Pasi