Passwords

(c) 1990,

Lars Hedbor

Barnesbay Software
c/o P.O. Box 203,
South Hero, Vermont
05486

1] Raison d'etre
If you use computer bulletin boards systems (BBSs) frequently, you are
no doubt aware of the need for good passwords. With notorious cases of
hackers penetrating and damaging systems occuring more often, it is has
become obvious that it is essential that your password be impossible to
stumble across or guess.
However, you have probably experienced that sinking feeling of realizing
that your password was a little *too* clever, and that you have forgotten
it. You then have to explain it to the sysop, who deals with that sort of
problem all the time.
This program addresses these two needs, by creating nonsense words that
can nonetheless be pronounced (in most cases) in English. If you can "hear"
the password, you are far more likely to remember it.

2] The Magic Word
When you call the program, by typing "PW" at the DOS prompt, it will ins-
tantly spit out six completely random words. The likelihood of getting the
same word twice is somewhere in the range of 1:50,000 against or greater.
It gives you six at one time so that you can select one that will be the
easiest to remember. None should be easy to guess. I have run the program
dozens upon dozens of times without getting a single proper English word.

3] Paying the Piper
If you find this program to be as helpful as I hope that it is, a small
donation would just make my day. Suggestions and comments would be wel-
comed, as well. Please send your check to the address at the head of this
documentation.

4] The Crystal Ball
For future versions of this program, I intend to add an algorithm to catch
any valid English words it may produce. I also plan on writing a version
which can be run as a BBS door, so that if a user runs out of imagination,
(s)he has a source to turn to for a reliable password. I may also go as far
as to adapt it to modify the user files of some of the more popular BBS
software directly, allowing the user to choose a password and implement it
from within the program. For users of Telix, Telemate, and other comms
programs that allow you to use an external editor: I will in the future
include batch files to install Password in the editor's space, if you are
not taking using an editor there already.


Yours truly,
Lars Hedbor