function setPassword($user, $passwd)
{
    global $myPasswdMgr;
    /** 
     * I could have just said passwordManager::setPassword($user, stringHandler::toSHA1(passwordManager::randomWord(5))); 
     * but that way I'll have no idea what the unhashed password is, and
     * won't be able to send it to the user.
     */
    //generate new password and write it to the db. setPassword(user, password)
    $passwd = $myPasswdMgr->randomWord(5);
    $myPasswdMgr->setPassword($user, passwordManager::toSHA1($passwd));
}
 /**
  * Authenticate the user
  * 
  * @param string $user Username
  * @param string $pass Password
  * @param bool   $setcookie If true, set a cookie
  */
 function userauth($user, $pass, $setcookie = FALSE)
 {
     $query = "SELECT `id` FROM `" . T_AUTHORS . "` WHERE `nickname`='" . stringHandler::removeMagicQuotes($user) . "' AND `password`='" . stringHandler::removeMagicQuotes(passwordManager::toSHA1($pass)) . "'";
     $rs = $this->_adb->GetRow($query);
     if ($rs) {
         $_SESSION['user_id'] = $rs[0];
         return true;
     } else {
         return false;
     }
 }