[Novalug] Sample shell code...

[Beartooth]

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007, donjr wrote:

> On Fri, 2007-02-23 at 11:28 -0800, Beartooth wrote:
[...]
>>  	Let me try it another way. I don't see offhand 
>> when/how/why I would want to have an executable file in my 
>> home directory, and deny *myself* permission to execute it. 
>> Yet those of you old gray elephants with survival scars take 
>> it for granted that you not only do want that, you want it to 
>> be the default.
>>
>> [...]
>
> CORRECT and by default you also don't what the current 
> directory on your PATH like MS-DOS does/did by default.

>   Also it isn't just "old gray elephants with survival scars". 
> It's anyone who has been past the beginner level(s) in basic 
> system security.

 	... as I certainly haven't, true : you have to more basic 
stuff than I do just to follow it.

>>>> I tried it first with plain "chmod +x" and it ran. What does
>>>> the "u" do?
[....]
>>  	All right, I saw that array at the top of the chmod man 
>> page. I *think* you're saying something I had no hint of : 
>> that the way the array is *used* is that "chmod u+x" is 
>> specific and explicit -- and that "chmod +x" defaults to it. 
>> Right?
>
> NO "chmod +x" defaults to "chmod a+x" as in 'ALL'. The 'u' is 
> for the USER only set of flags.

 	Aha! So it's the other way around. You comfort me ; it's 
better than having been way off in left field somewhere ...

[...]
>>  	There again, the unspoken but obviously strong and 
>> ubiquitous reluctance to have executable files, even in your 
>> own directory, with permission for you yourself to execute 
>> them. I'm convinced; but I'm still puzzled.
>
> Having an executable in a directory that you also have WRITE 
> permission to is dangerous as it means the executable can also 
> accidently be changed or deleted.

 	Oho! And also aha! Shudda thunka that; hadn't; and 
doubtless wouldn't've till it bit me, if then. Damn, I'm glad I 
started asking this stuff ...

--
Beartooth Staffwright, PhD, Neo-Redneck Linux Convert
I have precious (very precious) little idea where up is.