/etc/motd template

[Kees Cook]

On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 06:08:12PM -0800, Scott Ritchie wrote:
> Kees Cook wrote:
> > On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 09:49:08AM -0600, Dustin Kirkland wrote:
> >> I'm curious if the "free software" and "no warranty" paragraphs are
> >> still necessary/useful?  Do they belong in the MOTD, printed *every*
> >> time a user logs onto a system on the command line?
> > 
> > I think it's critical that it continues to say "free software" -- this
> > is a defining characteristic of a Linux-based system, and should remain
> > some where obvious on every "use" of the system.  I have no opinion
> > about the warranty bit, though.
> 
> We can tell the user that at install time, no need to do that every
> login (or even on first login).

I'm thinking of people beyond the one who installed it.  This is especially
true for server installs where the users are not always the installers.

> More importantly, after installation, an Ubuntu system may NOT be
> entirely Free Software.

That can be true, but is less common.  We're talking about a default
setting here, and by default, the system is Free enough, that I think it
makes to leave it as a default statement in the motd.

If admins don't like the motd, they should change it -- but as a default, I
think we should leave the Free Software statement.

-- 
Kees Cook
Ubuntu Security Team