Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wucs1!wuibc!wugate!wubios!david
From: david@wubios.wustl.edu (David J. Camp)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: File Write Permission Rules
Keywords: file write permission rules
Message-ID: <306@wubios.wustl.edu>
Date: 8 Feb 89 03:20:59 GMT
Organization: Washington University (St. Louis)
Lines: 14

We have a strange situation where a program can write to a file even
though it does not have write permission.  What it does is remove the
file and write a new one in its place.  It can do this because it has
write permission to the directory in which the file is contained.

My question is:  What is the (historical or otherwise) justification for
this rule?  It seems wrong.  I would have required write permission to
the file itself in order that it be removed.
-David-
-- 
Bitnet:   david@wubios.wustl                ^      Mr. David J. Camp
Internet: david%wubios@wucs1.wustl.edu    < * >    Box 8067, Biostatistics
uucp:     uunet!wucs1!wubios!david          v      660 South Euclid
Washington University Medical School               Saint Louis, MO 63110