Suppose a password consisted of a string of nine characters from the English alphabet 136 Chapter 3 Operating Systems The following questions are intended as a guide to the ethical/social/legal issues associated with the field of computing. The goal is not merely to answer these questions. You should also consider why you answered as you did and whether your justifications are consistent from one question to the next.

1. Suppose you are using a multiuser operating system that allows you to view the names of the files belonging to other users as well as to view the contents of those files that are not otherwise protected. Would viewing such information without permission be similar to wandering through someone’s unlocked home without permission, or would it be more like reading materials placed in a common lounge such as a physician’s waiting room?

2. When you have access to a multiuser computer system, what responsibilities do you have when selecting your password?

3. If a flaw in an operating system’s security allows a malicious programmer to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, to what extent should the developer of the operating system be held responsible?

4. Is it your responsibility to lock your house in such a way that intruders cannot get in, or is it the public’s responsibility to stay out of your house unless invited? Is it the responsibility of an operating system to guard access to a computer and its contents, or is it the responsibility of hackers to leave the machine alone? 5. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau argues that we have become tools of our tools; that is, instead of benefiting from the tools that we have, we spend our time obtaining and maintaining our tools. To what extent is this true with regard to computing? For example, if you own a personal computer, how much time do you spend earning the money to pay for it, learning how to use its operating system, learning how to use its utility and application software, maintaining it, and downloading upgrades to its software in comparison to the amount of time you spend benefiting from it? When you use it, is your time well spent? Are you more socially active with or without a personal computer? Social Issues (twenty-six characters). If each possible password could be tested in a millisecond, how long would it take to test all possible passwords?