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Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 16:40:29 +0000 (GMT)
From: Tigran Aivazian <tigran@veritas.com>
To: Alexander Viro <viro@math.psu.edu>
cc: Hugh Dickins <hugh@veritas.com>, Andries Brouwer <aeb@veritas.com>,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: access() says EROFS even for device files if /dev is mounted RO
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On Wed, 29 Nov 2000, Alexander Viro wrote:
> Historically, on systems that allow write access to devices
> on r/o filesystems access() doesn't return EROFS for devices. Moreover, that's
> what one might reasonably expect and there are programs relying on that.
> Principle of minimal surprise and all such...

That is precisely the point I was making in my previous email. But both
that email and yours asnwer only one question:

a) should access(2) behave identical to open(2) (with switched uid)? The
answer is Yes.

but the main question still remains unanswered:

b) what should be the return of access(W_OK) (or, the same, open() for 
write with switched uid) for devices on a readonly-mounted filesystems?

Should the majority win? I.e. should we say OK, as we do now?

Regards,
Tigran


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