Re: how to implement user level security in cvs ?

[Larry Jones]

gabriel rosenkoetter writes:
>
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> On Thu, Apr 18, 2002 at 04:22:30PM -0400, Larry Jones wrote:
> > The short answer is that a user needs write permission on a directory to
> > modify any of the files in that directory
> 
> Say *what*? You mean that specifically to CVS, I hope?

Yes; that was the context of the discussion.

> (In the real world, the only relevance write permission on a
> directory have is for creation and deletion of files... but you're
> saying that CVS actually creates a new file and unlink()s the old
> one every time...)

Exactly.  Modifying an RCS file generally requires changes throughout
the file, and there's no way to do that (portably) other than rewriting
the file.  CVS (and RCS) always write a whole new file rather than
overwriting the existing file to prevent an unfortunate system crash
from leaving you with a partial file and no way to recover the missing
information.

-Larry Jones

I've got to start listening to those quiet, nagging doubts. -- Calvin