ln -s gives wrong error message on Ultrix 4.1

Johan Vromans jv at mh.nl
Thu Apr 11 18:00:51 AEST 1991


In article <1991Apr9.194356.24156 at watcgl.waterloo.edu> idallen at watcgl.waterloo.edu (Ian! D. Allen [CGL]) writes:

> For a nonexistent pathname "xxx" and a directory into which I do not
> have permission to write "/", Ultrix issues the wrong error message:
>...
>     1% ln -s xxx /
>     xxx: No such file or directory                         <- What?!
>...
> The "No such file or directory" that Ultrix issues is not correct for #1.
> The presence or absence of the link content should not affect the fact
> that I don't have permission to make the symbolic link.

It doesn't. In this case, you deserve two error messages: ENOENT
*AND* EPERM.

> Ultrix should say, like everyone else, "Permission denied".  

I do not agree. To me, it is more logical to check source first. If
you do not have a (valid) source, there is no need worrying about the
destination. 
But I can imagine that checking destination first also has it points.

> (It should also put the command name "ln:" in the error messages.)

I agree on this one.

	Johan
-- 
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