[tex-k] xdvi 22.40i status

[Stefan Ulrich]

M Shell <mshell@ece.gatech.edu> writes:

> I may be wrong about this, but my current understanding is that
> later versions of gs will *default* to -dSAFER. i.e., if we don't
> put anything on the command line, then -dSAFER will be implied.

It doesn't with my version of 7.20:

$ echo "(fig.eps)run" | /usr/local/bin/gs-7.20 
AFPL Ghostscript DEVELOPMENT RELEASE 7.20 (2002-04-03)
Copyright (C) 2002 artofcode LLC, Benicia, CA.  All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
GS>Loading NimbusSanL-Regu font from /usr/share/fonts/default/Type1/n019003l.pfb... 1918732 603353 1723412 421771 0 done.
>>showpage, press <return> to continue<<
GS>

So it works OK; but with -dSAFER:

echo "(fig.eps)run" | /usr/local/bin/gs-7.20 -dSAFER
AFPL Ghostscript DEVELOPMENT RELEASE 7.20 (2002-04-03)
Copyright (C) 2002 artofcode LLC, Benicia, CA.  All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
GS>Error: /invalidfileaccess in --file--
Operand stack:
   (fig.eps)   (r)
Execution stack:
   %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   %loop_continue   2   3   %oparray_pop   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   1   3   %oparray_pop   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
   --dict:1025/1123(ro)(G)--   --dict:0/20(G)--   --dict:67/200(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
Current file position is 13
GS<1>

> So for gs 7.04 and earlier, xdvi should call it with -dSAFER,
> but for later versions of gs, xdvi should call gs without
> any security options.

> In *both* cases gs would run (write) securely and still be able
> to gain the needed file read access.

Hmm, in my understanding, running gs-7.20 with -dSAFER will
*dis*allow all reads/writes (as demonstrated by the example
above), but running it with no argument or -dNOSAFER will allow
*all* reads and writes, as demonstrated by the following:

$ ls -l fig.eps 
-rw-r--r--    1 ulrich   elexir      15585 Apr 10 19:22 fig.eps

$ echo "(fig.eps)run (fig.eps)deletefile" | /usr/local/bin/gs-7.20
AFPL Ghostscript DEVELOPMENT RELEASE 7.20 (2002-04-03)
Copyright (C) 2002 artofcode LLC, Benicia, CA.  All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
GS>Loading NimbusSanL-Regu font from /usr/share/fonts/default/Type1/n019003l.pfb... 1918732 603353 1723412 421791 0 done.
>>showpage, press <return> to continue<<
GS>
$ ls -l fig.eps
ls: fig.eps: No such file or directory

Can anyone else confirm this? If my installation isn't utterly
broken, I guess this shows the problem at hand quite well.

> What they really need to do is to make the "new" -dSAFER do
> nothing (as its use is already implied)

I think they just should keep the old meaning of -dSAFER ...

> , and keep 
> -dPARANOIDSAFER as it is now.

... agreed.

> That way xdvi could always call -dSAFER and still have the
> needed read access - regardless of the gs version.

Right - just as it is now.

> PS: If you agree with this and/or have a better suggestion,
>     we can try to put a post in their gs-developer forum.

OK, we could do this. I'll just need to subscribe there ...

-- 
Stefan Ulrich