bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Nelson H. F. Beebe]

I'm doing "make install" for several builds of emacs-23.0.96, and I
just noticed this output (with the GNU default of prefix=/usr/local):

chmod -R a+r \
	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96 \
	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp \
	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96/etc \
	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96/lisp \
	/usr/local/share/info

While it is appropriate to run chmod at installation time for a
package's own files, it is HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE to run chmod on
directories and files belonging to other packages.  The directories

	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
	/usr/local/share/info

need to be removed from the install command chmod processing.

Their contents, and file permissions, are not the business of
emacs-x.y.z release installations.  A given site, including ours, may
have local reasons for nondefault permissions in those directories.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Nelson H. F. Beebe                    Tel: +1 801 581 5254                  -
- University of Utah                    FAX: +1 801 581 4148                  -
- Department of Mathematics, 110 LCB    Internet e-mail: beebe@math.utah.edu  -
- 155 S 1400 E RM 233                       beebe@acm.org  beebe@computer.org -
- Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA    URL: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/ -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Chong Yidong]

> chmod -R a+r \
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96 \
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp \
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96/etc \
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/23.0.96/lisp \
> 	/usr/local/share/info
>
> While it is appropriate to run chmod at installation time for a
> package's own files, it is HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE to run chmod on
> directories and files belonging to other packages.  The directories
>
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
> 	/usr/local/share/info
>
> need to be removed from the install command chmod processing.

Fair enough.  But the installation process needs to read the contents of
/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp and /usr/local/share/info in order to
function properly.

How about doing `u+r' instead of `a+r' for those directories?

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Glenn Morris]

Chong Yidong wrote:

>> chmod -R a+r \
[...]
> Fair enough.  But the installation process needs to read the contents of
> /usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp and /usr/local/share/info in order to
> function properly.
>
> How about doing `u+r' instead of `a+r' for those directories?

("u" is probably root when installing)

I imagine it is the "-R" that is the problem. I guess the install
should make sure the directories themselves, and those files we
install in them, are readable, but leave other things under these
directories alone.

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Chong Yidong]

Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org> writes:

> I imagine it is the "-R" that is the problem. I guess the install
> should make sure the directories themselves, and those files we
> install in them, are readable, but leave other things under these
> directories alone.

No, the reporter specifically complained about making these readable:

	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
	/usr/local/share/info

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Glenn Morris]

Chong Yidong wrote:

> No, the reporter specifically complained about making these readable:
>
> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
> 	/usr/local/share/info

That I can't understand.

Super-top-secret info files can be installed in a non-standard
location, and added to the INFOPATH of those who need them.
Ditto with site-lisp-files-that-aren't-really-site-lisp-files.

Or emacs can be installed somewhere else than /usr/local.

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Glenn Morris]

Glenn Morris wrote:

> Chong Yidong wrote:
>
>> No, the reporter specifically complained about making these readable:
>>
>> 	/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
>> 	/usr/local/share/info
>
> That I can't understand.

But if that is the issue, how about only setting the permissions if we
create those directories?

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Nelson H. F. Beebe]

>> I imagine it is the "-R" that is the problem. I guess the install
>> should make sure the directories themselves, and those files we
>> install in them, are readable ...

The permissions of directories not owned by the package must not
be touched.  If a specific permission mode is needed, and an
existing file or directory lacks that permission, then "make install"
should warn about the problem.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Nelson H. F. Beebe                    Tel: +1 801 581 5254                  -
- University of Utah                    FAX: +1 801 581 4148                  -
- Department of Mathematics, 110 LCB    Internet e-mail: beebe@math.utah.edu  -
- 155 S 1400 E RM 233                       beebe@acm.org  beebe@computer.org -
- Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA    URL: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/ -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bug#3800: [emacs-devel] emacs-23.0.96 make install misbehavior

[Nelson H. F. Beebe]

>> how about only setting the permissions if we create those directories?

That is fine, because there is no change to the permissions of
existing files and subdirectories.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Nelson H. F. Beebe                    Tel: +1 801 581 5254                  -
- University of Utah                    FAX: +1 801 581 4148                  -
- Department of Mathematics, 110 LCB    Internet e-mail: beebe@math.utah.edu  -
- 155 S 1400 E RM 233                       beebe@acm.org  beebe@computer.org -
- Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA    URL: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/ -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------