Re: permissions

Bruce Gingery (lcbginge@antelope.wcc.edu)
Tue, 17 May 1994 14:03:31 -0600 (MDT)

I can't speak for others, but I have a LOT of 
	"funky sym-links like foo -> ../../bar/foo"
and for good reasons.
    1. NEXTSTEP uses ".dir.tiff" and ".opendir.tiff" as icons for
	directories (folders in the GUI) to override the default
	"folder" and "open folder" graphics.  I generally set
	the same icon for the main and subdirectories in a project.
	I can do this with just the overhead of the symlinks and still
	am able to move the entire project easily from point to point
	in the filesystem.  The links "just move" when they are
	relative rather than fixed.  Also when I drag a project
	into NeXT-mail, the icons (and symlinks) travel with it.

    2. I "mount" large portions of my OS through a rather complex
	hierarchy of symlinks (which can freely traverse hardware
	breaks, unlike hard-links).  Some files are on multiple
	removable volumes.  RELATIVE sym-links rather than fixed
	path symlinks allow me to preserve some portions of the
	filesystem so long as ONE volume is mounted which carries
	the file.  I can still mount according to the actual volume
	mounted, "overwriting" cross-volume symlinks.  When one
	of the appropriate magneto-optical disks is inserted and
	(daemon automounted by volume name), links are suddenly
	resolved at the link point, which resolves links as accessed
	throughout the filesystem.  I have no direct net connection
	on this ultra-symlinked machine at present, so please forego
	flames and pointers regarding just how dangerous symlinks
	can be.  I do know, but for now -- it works.

---
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On Tue, 17 May 1994, Howard the Energizer wrote:

> In a message posted Tuesday, May 17 Bruce Barnett writes:
> 
> > 
> > 
> > Speaking of which, have people used my trojan perl script I posted earlier?
> > I think I only got one bugfix, and one report of the results.
> > 
> > Sounds like a lot of people asked for it, but never used it....
> > 
> > If you did act on the results, (i.e. change the permission of some
> > directories, etc.) did it have any ramifications?  Did any code break?
> > 
> > Should I post it to other mailing lists? Or is it too buggy?
> > 
> 
> I certainly found it useful, and as far as I know few people have
> funky sym-links like foo -> ../../../bar/foo 
> 
> The only other problem I ran into, was that it wedged a sun386i when I
> ran it (probably becuase it ran out of swap space).
> 
> It didn't break anything here.
> 
> 
> Howard Bampton                     
> Internet: bampton@cs.utk.edu        
> Sys Admin, UT Knoxville, Tennessee  Even the walls of Jericho fell.....