Re: cp creates directory with different permissions -- then reverts them
Re: cp creates directory with different permissions -- then reverts them
- Subject: Re: cp creates directory with different permissions -- then reverts them
- From: Quinn <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:38:13 +0100
At 23:06 -0800 29/10/06, Jeffrey Ellis wrote:
Can someone tell me why cp is doing this?
It's the UNIX way (-:
Historically, Mac OS and UNIX had a very different perspectives on
file copying. UNIX considers the copy to be a new file that just
happens to have the same content as the original. Mac OS tries to
make the new file as close as possible to the original. This affects
other things beyond the permissions. For example, if you copy a file
on traditional Mac OS (or using technologies that conform to
traditional Mac OS semantics, like the Finder), the new file has the
same creation and modification date as the original. If you do this
using "cp", the new file's creation and modification dates are set to
the time that you did the copy.
There are many arguments as which of this approaches is 'correct',
but they are mostly pointless IMHO. Both approaches have their pros
and cons. Fortunately, Mac OS X bypasses these arguments by
providing you with tools to do both. "cp" gives you the traditional
UNIX semantics. "ditto" gives you the traditional Mac OS semantics.
S+E
--
Quinn "The Eskimo!" <http://www.apple.com/developer/>
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware
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