[Liverpool] Software freedom (problems at the University)

[Sujita Purushothaman]

Dave Love wrote:
> You might be more careful what you say in public, no matter how stupid
> you think people in Computing Services and their rules are -- just a
> suggestion.  Merely annoying your BOFH is rarely a good idea, let alone
> posting something like that potentially in front of them, and I assure
> you they don't need lessons on MAC addresses.  If nothing else, consider
> that this sort of thing (archived) may not give a good impression of the
> group, and doesn't help any effort to improve support for non-Windows
> users in the university in case everyone is tarred with the same brush.
>   
I do agree with most of your points, re:helping someone gain 
unauthorised access, and talking in public. The thing is though, I would 
expect someone from a university setting to be more helpful than "The 
University will categorically not change its security policy to suit 
your requirements." , especially when it appears that the university is 
forcing students to accept a legally binding agreement with a third 
party to access it resources ( is that legal, btw, forcing students to 
sign a EULA with a third party?) "The University's current policies do 
not allow you to connect on the terms you state" would have been better, 
and make it sound a lot less like Mr. Ward having the final say on 
University policy."The University's current policies do not allow you to 
connect on the terms you state, but I will raise the matter with x and 
y" would have been ideal.....A University is first and foremost a place 
of learning, and therefore all employees should have a facilitative 
attitude, imho. Not seek to create zombies who just follow 'policy' or 
'procedure'.

-Sujita