Why disable access to software features?

[Calarco, Pascal]

>----------
>From: web4lib
>To: Multiple recipients of list
>Subject: Why disable access to software features?
>Date: Thursday, November 02, 1995 12:31PM

>Remind me why we, as librarians, would like to disable access to some of 
the
>software's features. I thought librarians were interested in free and equal
>access to information?

Netscape allows access to system functions that potentially could cause
problems.  Like the fact that a user can change the e-mail address under
Preferences and send falsified mail without any verification at the server 
level.
Potential law suits, anyone?  Or patrons abusing the printing functions with
full-text journals -- we recently had a patron who proceeded to print out 
entire
volumes of _The Journal of Biological Chemical_ and _Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly_ (all at no charge).  Or patrons deleting/changing established 
bookmarks.
Or messing up helper applications....I think you get the point.  There are 
some
system functions that need to be guarded from users for the sake of 
consistency,
security, and reliability for our entire community.   It is not (and never 
will be)
about controlling what URLs a patron can access.

Pascal V. Calarco
IAIMS Assistant, Librarian
Cusing/Whitney Medical Library
Yale University

>--
>Eric Lease Morgan
>NCSU Libraries