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From: guy@sun.uucp (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: File times in 4.[23]
Message-ID: <6404@sun.uucp>
Date: Thu, 21-Aug-86 01:36:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.6404
Posted: Thu Aug 21 01:36:43 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Aug-86 19:08:38 EDT
References: <7053@boring.mcvax.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 18

> 4.3:	access time changed by read *only*.
> 	modify time changed by write
> 	creation time never changed (except by creation, of course).

It's impossible to change the creation time on a UNIX file, since there
isn't one!  The "c" in "ctime" stands for "change", which is a somewhat
vague term; it actually refers to any change to the inode.  This definitely
includes "chmod"; I just rlogged into a machine here running straight 4.3BSD
(it's name is "sunvax", and it's a VAX-11/750) and created a file.  I did an
"ls -lc", waited about a minute, changed its mode, and did another "ls -lc".
Lo and behold, the inode change time had changed!

I don't know how you got those results for 4.2BSD and 4.3BSD, but either you
didn't do something right or your kernel is funny.
-- 
	Guy Harris
	{ihnp4, decvax, seismo, decwrl, ...}!sun!guy
	guy@sun.com (or guy@sun.arpa)