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Aucbvax.2892 fa.unix-wizards utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!unix-wizards Tue Sep 1 12:17:22 1981 Re: setuid not working if user is root >From IngVAX.eric@Berkeley Tue Sep 1 12:10:20 1981 I must also cast my vote for this feature as being misguided, and removable. As a measure of this, consider how many people didn't even know the feature existed! It seems to have no redeeming social value, and only causes problems (in fact, I am surprised that INGRES has never had problems with it, since it runs setuid to "ingres" -- and creates files mode 600 -- imagine the trauma if root creates a relation!).

I assume the purpose of this (mis)feature was that setuid was supposed to add priviliges, as proposed earlier -- and so this feature made UNIX seem to have something like "rings", and setuid would only add permissions, never remove them. I contend this is an incorrect view of reality.

eric

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