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From: brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: Why use pwd(1) for getpwd(3C)? (Re: Why use find?)
Message-ID: <23012:Oct1019:12:2790@kramden.acf.nyu.edu>
Date: 10 Oct 90 19:12:27 GMT
References: <1977@sixhub.UUCP> <1990Oct7.001518.14216@diku.dk> <1990Oct9.122813.1329@cbnews.att.com>
Organization: IR
Lines: 8

In article <1990Oct9.122813.1329@cbnews.att.com> jbr0@cbnews.att.com (joseph.a.brownlee) writes:
  [ why is getpwd() implemented as `pwd` in System V? ]

Because there's no getwd() system call to have the kernel do the job.
Unless you have some sort of privileges, you won't be able to figure
out the current directory when any higher directory is unreadable.

---Dan