Subject: Re: Symlink ownership
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Collatz.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
List: current-users
Date: 07/28/1995 11:11:08
>>> If symlinks were owned by their creators, then this problem goes
>>> away.
>> True.  But it would also require symlinks to have somewhere to
>> remember who created them.
> Is there any reason that the special directory entry could not retain
> the uid & gid for this special case of inode data?

In theory, no.  But if symlinks have owners, then one should be able to
change those owners (one can change the owner of anything else), so
chown() should work on 'em.  But then we have to special-case symlinks
in chown(), because to chown a file requires just search permisison on
the directory it's in, whereas to chown a symlink would require writing
to the directory.

I really think it's better to go with what gwr suggested and stop
pretending symlinks don't have real owners.  The current implementation
keeps symlinks in inodes, same as always, but when doing a GETATTR it
fakes a bunch of stuff.  I think we should stop doing so....

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu