[ILUG] repair permissions

[Brian Foster]

  | Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:02:55 +0000
  | From: Niall Walsh <linux at esatclear.ie>
  |[ ... ]
  | Makes me wonder why --no-preserve-root is the default for chmod
  | rather then --preserve-root, or why it isn't aliased for root on
  | (all/more/some) distros.

 I've never understood why BSD added `-R' to chown(1),
 chmod(1), and chgrp(1) in the first place.  that option,
 which I have never liked for several reasons (including
 one which should now be obvious!), did not exist in
 7th Edition Unix.  since find(1) did, the functionality
 was present, but in a form that is less dangerous.

 rm(1) in Unix of that vintage did have `-r', and _I_
 once did the equivalent of `cd /; rm -rf *' (followed by
 a quick ^C !) --- massively fortunately, late at night
 (which is probably the reason: sleepiness!) c.30mins
 after a full level-0 backup had completed, so all that
 was lost was a few e-mails.  but a long night turned
 into a very very loonnnggggg night....   ;-\ 

 the `--(no-)preserve-root' is (very probably) a GNU
 invention.  the historical, Unix, and maybe POSIX.2
 behaviour is GNUs `--no-preserve-root'.  but no matter
 which way it is, you would still have all the other
 problems with the absurd `-R' option, including the
 sort of thing I did:  `cd /; chmod -R 777 *'

cheers!
	-blf-
-- 
Experienced (20+ yrs) kernel/software Eng: | Brian Foster   Montpellier,
 • Unix, embedded, &tc;  • Linux;  • doc;  | blf at utvinternet.ie   FRANCE
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