patch against manpage

[Michael Fairchild]

On Thu, May 15, 2003 at 02:07:36AM -0700, jw schultz wrote:
> On Thu, May 15, 2003 at 02:00:27AM -0700, Michael Fairchild wrote:
> > On Thu, May 15, 2003 at 01:29:19AM -0700, jw schultz wrote:
> > > On Thu, May 15, 2003 at 10:05:50AM +0200, Paul Slootman wrote:
> > > > Regurgitating an old thread...
> > > > 
> > > > On Wed 12 Mar 2003, jw schultz wrote:
> > > > > > > On Wed, Mar 12, 2003 at 01:27:32PM +0100, Paul Slootman wrote:
> > > > > > > > This is a patch against the manpage to clarify what the --perm option
> > > > > > > > does and does not do.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > If we are going to embellish this description it would be
> > > > > > > good to make it clear that the behavior of rsync in this
> > > > > > > regard is the same as that of cp.
> > > > 
> > > > I've come up with this for the manpage, that should help clear things up
> > > > for just about all people :-) :
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > .IP "\fB-p, --perms\fP"
> > > > This option causes rsync to update the permissions of existing destination
> > > > files to be the same as the source files\&.
> > > > Like other file copy utilities new destination files will receive the same
> > > > permissions as their source files with this option\&.
> > > > Without this option, the umask at the receiving end will determine the
> > > > permissions of new files (again, like other file copy utilities)\&.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > I believe that it's accurate, and leaves no room for doubt anywhere (which is
> > > > good for a manpage).
> > > 
> > > Almost accurate, but it seems awkward.
> > > 
> > >   This option causes rsync to set destination files to have
> > >   the same the permissions as the source files\&.
> > > 
> > >   Without this option, new files will have their permissions
> > >   set based on the source files and the umask at the
> > >   receiving end in the same manner as other file copy
> > >   utilities.
> > > 
> > > -- 
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > 	J.W. Schultz            Pegasystems Technologies
> > > 	email address:		jw at pegasys.ws
> > > 
> > > 		Remember Cernan and Schmitt
> > > -- 
> > > To unsubscribe or change options: http://lists.samba.org/mailman/listinfo/rsync
> > > Before posting, read: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> > 
> > my <than .00002cents
> > 
> > -p, --perms
> >               This  option causes rsync to update the remote permissions 
> > 	      to be the same as the local permissions.
> > 
> > as it stands now is clear to me. Not being an rsync veteran, I may be
> > missing some subtlty.  To me the refrence to "other file copying
> > utilities is distracting.
> > -Michael 
> 
> The confusion is that for some reason many people seem to
> have strange expectations of what the permissions will be of
> new files if the -p option is not used.  We get periodic
> "bug" reports on this.  About the only thing that seems to
> satisfy them is when we point out that the behaviour is
> exactly the same as cp and other utilities.
> 
Ahh, for what it is worth, how bout just adding the line:
"Without this option the umask of the remote computer determines the
permissions."

While on the topic of documentation and permissions I might share one of
my personal questions with the topic.  How are permissions translated
between two filesystems in an rsync operation.  For instance, NTFS or
FAT32 in a cygwin enviornment.  I imagine this could be figured out with
some respective filesytem & cygwin documentation reading and
experimintation, do I am not saying that it should be included, but I'm
just giving voice to the experience of 1 user.  If ther were an example
of such transfers I would be greatfull to not have to go figure it out,
and go figure something else out.

Perhaps some more thourogh, verbose documentation available on the
website with many examples would help.  What is there already has been
very helpfull to me. A runthrough of more examples like are already in
the man page (which are very helpful), but more.
still less than .0002cts,
-Michael


> Paul is advocating a change.   I am saying that _if_ a
> change is made it needs to be accurate, not increase
> confusion and should indicate why it works as it does.
> 
> -- 
> ________________________________________________________________
> 	J.W. Schultz            Pegasystems Technologies
> 	email address:		jw at pegasys.ws
> 
> 		Remember Cernan and Schmitt
> -- 
> To unsubscribe or change options: http://lists.samba.org/mailman/listinfo/rsync
> Before posting, read: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html