Subject: bug#8391: chmod setuid & setguid bits

From: Paul Eggert <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:22:54 -0800

On 02/24/2012 11:05 AM, Ondrej Vasik wrote:
> requester was fine with double zero 5+ octal digit
> approach.

I expect the requester would also be fine with a leading-'@'
approach.  All the requester wanted was *some* solution.

> 00755 is still octal digit (and easy to get with printf %5.5o
> from shorter octal digit mode, and probably easy to use further in
> scripts without modifications)

Sorry, I don't follow.  If I have a decimal mode 'mode' in a script,
then this:

  chmod @$(printf %o $mode) DIR

is easier and simpler than this:

  chmod $(printf %5.5o $mode) DIR

The "5.5o" is tricky: Why *two* "5"s?
and who can remember which "5" is really needed, and why,
right off the bat? and remember why "5", and not "4" or "6"?

The "@" is simple.