linking directories (was Re: A suggestion: .... == ../../..)

David Goodenough dg at lakart.UUCP
Wed May 4 01:39:11 AEST 1988


>From article <1236 at zen.UUCP>, by vic at zen.UUCP (Victor Gavin):
> ..... much stuff deleted .....
> ps Why do you have to be super-user to link directories?

Consider the following:

% cd /u2/dg
% mkdir foo
% mkdir foo/barf
% mkdir foo/barf/gag
% unlink ..			; UGH NUMBER 1
% ln /u2/dg/foo/barf/gag ..	; UGH NUMBER 2
% pwd

OOPS - Looks like we have a loop in the directory structure - pwd is going
to have a nervous breakdown.

In general the damage that can be done by linking and unlinking directories
is just too horrific to think about.
-- 
	dg at lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough		+---+
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	....... !harvard!adelie!cfisun!lakart!dg	+-+-+ |
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