[Oberon] syntax for authentication

[shark]

John Drake & others,

My authentication settings are thus.

NetSystem.SetUser 
  dialup:peter:xxxxxx at GulfNet
  ftp:peter:xxxxxx at carnot...
  ftp:peter:xxxxxx at 137...
  ftp:peter:xxxxxx at 192...a
  ftp:peter:xxxxxx at 192...b
  pop:peasthope:xxxxxx at gulfnet...
  ssh:peter:xxxxxx at 137...
  ssh:root:xxxxxx at 137...
  ssh:peter:xxxxxx at 192...
  ssh:root:xxxxxx at 192...
~

jmd> Another possibility would be to add the 
  separate commands:

NetSystem.SetUserID
NetSystem.SetPassword

In that case I have this.

NetSystem.SetUserID
  dialup:peter at GulfNet
  ftp:peter at carnot...
  ftp:peter at 137...
  ftp:peter at 192...a
  ftp:peter at 192...b
  pop:peasthope at gulfnet...
  ssh:peter at 137...
  ssh:root at 137...
  ssh:peter at 192...
  ssh:root at 192...
~

NetSystem.SetUserPassword
  dialup:xxxxxx$@GulfNet
  ftp:xxxxxx at carnot...
  ftp:xxxxxx at 137...
  ftp:xxxxxx at 192...a
  ftp:xxxxxx at 192...b
  pop:xxxxxx at gulfnet...
  ssh:xxxxxx at 137...
  ssh:xxxxxx at 137...
  ssh:xxxxxx at 192...
  ssh:xxxxxx at 192...
~

There are two problems.  First, the reader is subject to confusion.
S/he needs to read a UserID setting and then look for the 
corresponding Password setting.  Secondly, amibiguity exists.
The user can be authenticated to more than one UserID on 
one service.  Which password associates with a UserID?

NetSystem.SetUser takes an arbitrary number of arguments.
Each argument has four subarguments separated by :, : and @.
Ie. ServiceType:UserID:Password at ServiceName
The subarguments could be separated with blanks but the present
syntax helps to detect a faulty argument such as an omitted 
SerivceName.  What if the password contains a blank?  Encoding 
is still needed.  

The extant syntax is not so bad and the decoding is already 
implemented in HyperDocs.UnESC.  All that is needed is to put
it to work properly in NetSystem.

In my priorities, documentation will always preceed code.
A spare time documentation project spanning a couple of 
years is almost complete.  After that and after the DNS 
negotiation works in PPP I can tackle this.  If someone else 
can do it sooner, good.

While we are discussing this, Edgar, your Web site offers 
PPP 1.2.0.  Do you have a later release?  If so, please let me 
know a URI.

Thanks,             Peter E.